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Posttraumatic Cognitions and Condomless Sex Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) with a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Role of Avoidance Coping

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Abstract

This study explicated associations between trauma-related cognitions and condomless sex, examining avoidance coping style and behavior (i.e., substance use) as intermediate variables, among a group disproportionately affected by both trauma and HIV. Two hundred and ninety HIV-negative MSM with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) completed a cross-sectional psychosocial battery. Trauma-related cognitions were positively associated with more acts of condomless sex. Indirect associations on condomless sex were driven by avoidance coping, but not substance use. Findings indicate a need to address trauma-related cognitions and avoidance coping within interventions for reducing HIV risk among MSM with a history of CSA.

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Data Availability

The data and code are accessible on request from the principal investigator.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the participants involved in this research study.

Funding

This work was supported by NIMH (Grant No. R01MH095624, PI Dr. Conall O’Cleirigh). Dr. Daniel Hall’s time was supported by NCCIH (Grant No. K23AT010157). Dr. Abigail Batchelder’s time was supported by NIDA (Grant No. K23DA043418). Dr. Calvin Fitch’s and Dr. Tiffany Glynn's time was supported by NIAID T32AI007433 (PI: Kenneth Freedberg). Drs. Safren and Ironson were also supported by 1P30MH116867 for author time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Daniel L. Hall, Abigail W. Batchelder, Calvin J. Fitch, Tiffany R. Glynn, Helen Mizrach & Conall O’Cleirigh

  2. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Daniel L. Hall, Abigail W. Batchelder, Calvin J. Fitch, Tiffany R. Glynn & Conall O’Cleirigh

  3. Fenway Health, The Fenway Institute, Boston, MA, USA

    Abigail W. Batchelder, Calvin J. Fitch, Tiffany R. Glynn & Conall O’Cleirigh

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Tiffany R. Glynn, Gail Ironson & Steven A. Safren

  5. Mongan Institute, 100 Cambridge St., 16th floor, MB, 02114, Boston, USA

    Daniel L. Hall

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  1. Daniel L. Hall
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  2. Abigail W. Batchelder
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  3. Calvin J. Fitch
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  6. Helen Mizrach
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  7. Steven A. Safren
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  8. Conall O’Cleirigh
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Contributions

DLH: Conceptualization, Formal Analysis, Writing original draft. AWB: Formal Analysis, Writing original draft, review, and editing. CJF: Writing original draft, review, and editing. TRG: Writing original draft, review, and editing. GI: Investigation, Resources, Writing review and editing. HM: Project administration, Writing review and editing. SAS: Investigation, Resources, Writing review and editing. COC: Conceptualization, Formal Analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Resources, Writing review and editing. All the authors agreed for the final version to be submitted for peer review and possible publication.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel L. Hall.

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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IRB approval was granted by all participating institutions, including Fenway Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of Miami.

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All participants provided informed consent.

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Hall, D.L., Batchelder, A.W., Fitch, C.J. et al. Posttraumatic Cognitions and Condomless Sex Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) with a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Role of Avoidance Coping. AIDS Behav 27, 667–672 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-022-03801-7

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