History of childhood sexual abuse and unsafe anal intercourse in a 6-city study of HIV-positive men who have sex with men

Objectives. We assessed rates of childhood sexual abuse and its demographic and mental health correlates among HIV-positive men who reported unsafe anal intercourse with other men in the past year. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 593 HIV-positive men who have sex with men enrolled in the Positive Connections intervention. Results. Childhood sexual abuse was reported by 47% of participants; 32% reported frequency as often or sometimes. Men reporting abuse were more likely to be Latino (odds ratio [OR = 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.6, 4.2; P Conclusions. History of childhood sexual abuse is highly prevalent among HIV-positive men who engage in risky sexual behavior with other men and appears to be more common among men of color. Our findings suggest that abuse is associated with a significantly increased risk of sexually transmitted infections. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.133280)