Stigma and recent HIV testing among a nationwide survey of U.S. internet-using men who have sex with men

Background: We assessed the association between stigma related to sexual orientation and recent HIV testing among internet-using adult MSM participating in a national web-based survey in 2012.

Methods: Men were recruited through advertisements on websites. Analyses were limited to MSM who did not self-report as HIV-infected. We used a multivariable Poisson model to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for HIV testing. All measures are in the past 12 months.

Results: Among 2,453 respondents, 56% tested for HIV, 85% had seen a health care provider and 73% told their providers they had sex with men and. For reported stigma, 44% were called names or insulted; 3% were physically attacked. MSM reported unequal treatment in the following locations: businesses/restaurants (18%), school/work settings (15%) and health care settings (3%). MSM were more likely to have tested for HIV if they were black (aPR=1.2, CI=1.004-1.4), ages 25-49 (aPR=1.2, CI=1.1-1.4), told their health care provider they had sex with men (aPR=2.0, CI=1.6-2.4), seen a health care provider (aPR=2.0, CI=1.6-2.4), and reported 2 or more sex partners (aPR=1.9, CI=1.6-2.1). Stigma measures were not associated with testing.

Conclusions: Over half of MSM reported HIV testing in the past year. Past year experiences with stigma were not associated with recent testing. Men who had seen a health care provider and had told their providers they had sex with men were more likely to have received an HIV test, highlighting the opportunity health care providers have to support health seeking behaviors among MSM.