Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Feb;15(2):261-72.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-010-9834-5.

Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now: romantic and casual partner-seeking online among young men who have sex with men

José A Bauermeister  1 , Matthew Leslie-Santana, Michelle Marie Johns, Emily Pingel, Anna Eisenberg
Affiliations

Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now: romantic and casual partner-seeking online among young men who have sex with men

José A Bauermeister et al. AIDS Behav. 2011 Feb.

Abstract

Dating is a normative behavior for youth, yet few studies have examined the relationship between romantic partner-seeking and sexual behavior among young men who have sex with men (YMSM). This omission is most notable across studies examining YMSM's partner-seeking behaviors online. In this study, we examined the relationship between sexual behaviors and online partner-seeking behaviors for casual and romantic partners in a sample of YMSM (N = 431; M = 21.49 years old, SD = 1.94) who reported using the Internet to meet other men. Using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), we found YMSM in the High Romantic/High Casual group had more unprotected partners than YMSM in other categories. YMSM in the High Romantic/Low Casual group had fewer unprotected partners than the High Romantic/High Casual group. We discuss the implications of our findings and conclude that there is a need to further examine romantic partner-seeking among YMSM.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean differences by online partner-seeking frequency on the number of partners with whom YMSM engaged in unprotected receptive anal intercourse (URAI) in the past two months
Figure 2
Figure 2
Partner-seeking frequency combinations on YMSM’s number of partners in the past two months
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. CDC Trends in HIV/AIDS diagnoses among men who have sex with men – 33 states, 2001-2006. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2008;57:681–6. - PubMed
    1. Furman W, Shaffer D. The role of romantic relationships in adolescent development. In: Florsheim P, editor. Adolescent Romantic Relations and Sexual Behavior: Theory, Research, and Practical Implications. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; Mahwah, New Jersey: 2003. pp. 3–22.
    1. DiClemente R, Salazar LF, Crosby RA. A review of STD/HIV preventive interventions for adolescents: Sustaining effects using an ecological approach. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2007;32(8):888–906. - PubMed
    1. Liau A, Millet GA, Marks G. Meta-analytic examination of online sex-seeking and sexual risk behavior among men who have sex with men. Sexually Transmitted Diseases. 2006;33(9):576–84. - PubMed
    1. Pequegnat W, Rosser BRS, Bowen A, Bull SS, DiClemente R, Bockting WO, et al. Conducting Internet-based HIV/STD prevention survey research: Considerations in design and evaluation. AIDS & Behavior. 2007;11:505–21. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources