Body Image and Condomless Anal Sex Among Sexual Minority Men Living with HIV

Abstract

The interaction of body dissatisfaction and appearance investment (importance and effort ascribed to appearance) in relation to condomless anal sex has not previously been examined. Body dissatisfaction in the context of varying degrees of appearance investment may yield divergent sexual risk outcomes. Sexual minority men living with HIV (N = 105) completed a battery of self-report measures. A generalized linear model identified a significant interaction [b = 0.08 (95% CI 0.01, 0.16), p = 0.033] such that when appearance investment was low, body dissatisfaction was associated with fewer condomless anal sex acts; when appearance investment was high, body dissatisfaction was associated with increased condomless anal sex.