Use of the actor-partner interdependence model to better understand the sexual health of gay male couples

Background: The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) is a multi-level modeling approach that distinguishes between level-one (individual level) and level-two (couple-level) variables, enabling examination of actor effects (relationship between a participant's score on a criterion variable and his score on a predictor variable) and partner effects (relationship between a participant's score on a criterion variable and his partner's score on a predictor variable). In this talk, two applications of the APIM will be used to examine the sexual health of gay male couples.

Methods: Gay men were surveyed at large events in New York City and Los Angeles; 172 matched gay male couples (N = 344) completed surveys including the Sexual Compulsivity Scale, the Adult Attachment Scale, and the Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale.

Results: APIM results suggested that participants reporting higher levels of sexual compulsivity (SC) also reported diminished sexual communication quality and an increased number of casual male sex partners with whom they had unprotected anal intercourse (UAI). In addition, men whose partners reported higher levels of SC reported more UAI casual sex partners. In separate analyses, securely attached men reported higher levels of sexual communication and fewer UAI casual sex partners. Avoidant attachment was strongly associated with UAI casual sex partners, and men whose partners were avoidant attached reported lower sexual communication.

Conclusions: These results demonstrate the relevance of both SC and attachment to the sexual health of partnered gay men and illustrate the ability of the APIM to identify both within-person (actor effects) and between-partner (partner effects) associations.