HIV-related thought avoidance, sexual risk, and alcohol use among men who have sex with men

ABSTRACTHIV-related “cognitive escape” refers to a tendency to avoid thoughts associated with HIV, which may be particularly common among men who have sex with men (MSM) who are often inundated with HIV information, potentially to the point of fatigue. HIV-related cognitive escape is associated with increased sexual risk behaviors, such as condomless sex, and heavier alcohol use patterns. Other studies show that some MSM may use alcohol specifically to facilitate sex. These sexual motives for drinking (SMDs) could be one mechanism whereby cognitive escape leads to health risk behaviors. In this study, we tested models exploring whether cognitive escape was associated with markers of sex risk (condom use, number of sex partners) and alcohol use/problems, and examined whether SMDs mediated these associations. Heavy drinking, HIV-negative men (N = 196) aged ≥ 21 years who self-reported past year condomless anal sex with men completed assessments as part of a larger study. Results suggest that cognitive escap...