Abstract
The spread of the monkeypox virus (mpox) in 2022 primarily within the sexual networks of men who have sex with men (MSM) triggered a potentially stigmatizing public health response in the USA. Despite mpox being primarily spread through skin-to-skin contact, most messaging has promoted abstinence and/or reduction in sexual risk behaviors. More research is needed on decreases in sexual risk behaviors among sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth and young adults (YYA) related to the most recent mpox epidemic and whether there are factors associated with these decreases in sexual risk behavior. Participants within an ongoing cohort study of SGM YYA who reside in Illinois were offered the opportunity to participate in an mpox survey between September 10th and September 20th, 2022. Analyses looked at demographic factors associated with sexual activity since the start of the outbreak, as well as associations with two sexual risk reduction factors. Survey participation was 68.7% (322/469). Three-quarters of participants (82.6%) reported sexual activity since June 1st. Most sexually active participants (83.5%) adopted at least one sexual risk reduction behavior due to mpox. Black and Latinx individuals were less likely to be sexually active but more likely to report risk reduction behaviors (31.3% and 22.6%, respectively). Participants who received the mpox vaccine were more likely to report sexual activity. SGM YYA in Illinois reported that their sexual behaviors were impacted by the mpox outbreak. However, associations between vaccination and sexual behavior demonstrate that those who are vaccinated do adopt protective methods despite not decreasing sexual activity. Therefore, sex-positive communications and harm reduction messaging may be more appropriate as opposed to abstinence-only prevention, which can further stigmatize an already marginalized group.
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The data supporting this study's findings are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
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Funding
This work was in part supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under Grant Award Number UH3AI133676/UG3AI133676. The content is solely the authors’ responsibility and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
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Study activities were approved and overseen by Cook County Health’s (CCH) Institutional Review Board (IRB #17–555-CORE). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments and comparable ethical standards. The study operated under a federal certificate of confidentiality issued by the US National Institute of Health.
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The analysis presented was not disseminated prior to the creation of this article. However, this study’s dataset has been used in prior unrelated publications.
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Phillips, G., Curtis, M.G., Felt, D. et al. Changes in Sexual Behaviors Due to Mpox: a Cross-Sectional Study of Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals in Illinois. Prev Sci 25, 628–637 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-023-01604-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-023-01604-3