Condom use, love and trust: An event level examination among men who have sex with men from latin america, Spain, and Portugal

Background: MSM continue to be disproportionately impacted by STI and HIV. While increasing attention has focused on affective components of sexual encounters including “love”, to date, no study has described differences in condom use by those who report being in love (or not) and/or trusting their sexual partner (or not) during specific sexual events. Methods: Internet-based survey data were collected from MSM (N=36,477) residing in Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries, who were members of an online website facilitating social or sexual interactions with other men. Measures included sociodemographics, condom use during their most recent anal intercourse, and perceptions of “love” and “trust” with their most recent male sexual partner. Results: Participants resided in Latin America (83.3%), Spain (5%), and Portugal (11.7%) and ranged in age from 18-60+ years (mean=30.8). While only 29.3% reported loving their most recent sexual partner, nearly 70.0% indicated they trusted this person. Among those engaging in anal intercourse with a non-relational partner during, using a condom was reported by 58.0% of men who loved their sexual partner (compared to 71.0% who did not love their sexual partner) and 67.9% of men who trusted this person (compared to 74.7% who didn't). Condom use during their last anal intercourse was significantly less likely among MSM who loved their sexual partner and those who trusted their sexual partner (p<0.0001). Conclusions: Findings highlight differences in condom use among MSM based on perceptions of love and trust, and suggest the need to further explore how these differences influence sexual health.