Desire for Unprotected Intercourse Preceding its Occurrence: The Case of Young Gay Men with an Anonymous Partner

Abstract

One sample of young gay men (n = 219) and 3 samples of older gay men (n = 219, n = 207, and n = 88) recalled a sexual encounter in which they had engaged in unprotected anal intercourse. Throughout the evening of the encounter, desire specifically for unprotected intercourse had generally been less common the more distant the relationship with the partner. Young men having sex with an anonymous partner were an exception to this pattern, however: they had desired unprotected intercourse almost as commonly as had young men having sex with a lover. The extent to which unprotected intercourse is premeditated in young men with an anonymous partner may make it particularly hard to modify their behaviour. This group had also been in an especially negative mood state at the start of the evening, suggesting the importance of trying to inculcate non-destructive ways of dealing with negative mood states.