Young African American Men Having Sex With Multiple Partners Are More Likely to Use Condoms Incorrectly: A Clinic-Based Study

Abstract

This study tested the research hypothesis that men's errors using condoms would be associated with having multiple sex partners. Specifically, men engaging in sex with three or more women were compared with those having sex with two or fewer women. Recruitment ( N = 271) occurred in a publicly funded sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic located in a metropolitan area of the Southern United States. All men were clinically diagnosed with an STD. They completed a self-reported questionnaire (using a 3-month recall period). Those reporting sex with men were excluded from the analysis. About one half of the men (48.5%) reported penetrative sex with three or more women. The authors found that among young African American men, newly diagnosed with an STD, reporting recent (past 3 months) sex with multiple partners may be emblematic of condom errors. These men may benefit from clinic-based, targeted counseling and education designed to foster improved quality of condom use.