Correlates of forced sex among populations of men who have sex with men in Thailand.
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Date
2011-03-03
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Abstract
Although forced sex is a correlate of HIV infection its prevalence and associated risks are not well described among men who have sex with men MSM in developing country settings Between March and October 2005 we assessed the prevalence of forced sex and correlates among populations of MSM this includes general MSM male sex workers and male to female transgender persons in Thailand using a community based sample Participants were enrolled from venues around Bangkok Chiangmai and Phuket using venue day time sampling Handheld computer assisted self interviewing was used to collect demographic and behavioral data and logistic regression evaluated factors associated with forced sex defined as ever being forced to have sexual intercourse against one s will Of the 2 049 participants M age 24 8 years a history of forced sex was reported by 376 18 4 men and of these most were forced by someone they knew 83 8 forced more than once 67 3 and had first occurrence during adolescence 55 1 In multivariate analysis having a history of forced sex was significantly associated with being recruited in Phuket classification as general MSM or transgender versus classification as male sex worker drug use increased number of male sexual partners and buying sex The findings in our assessment were consistent with assessments from Western countries Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the mechanisms of the relationships between forced sex correlates found in our assessment and HIV acquisition and transmission risks