Patterns of Social Support and LGBTQ + Community Involvement Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Australia and Their Effect on HIV-Related Outcomes: A Latent Class Analysis

Curtis Chan; Benjamin R Bavinton; Horas T H Wong; John Rule; Loc Nguyen; Steven Spencer; Martin Holt

doi:10.1007/s10461-025-04632-y

Patterns of Social Support and LGBTQ + Community Involvement Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Australia and Their Effect on HIV-Related Outcomes: A Latent Class Analysis

AIDS Behav. 2025 Jan 27. doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-04632-y. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Curtis Chan¹, Benjamin R Bavinton², Horas T H Wong^{3

4}, John Rule⁵, Loc Nguyen⁶, Steven Spencer⁵, Martin Holt³

Affiliations

¹ Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia. cchan@kirby.unsw.edu.au.
² Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
³ Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
⁴ Sydney Nursing School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁵ National Association of People with HIV Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁶ ACON, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

PMID: 39865201
DOI: 10.1007/s10461-025-04632-y

Abstract

Peer support from social networks of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) has been recognised as a critical driver of engagement with HIV prevention. Using data from an online cross-sectional survey of 1,032 GBMSM aged 18 or over in Australia, a latent class analysis was conducted to categorise participants based on social support, LGBTQ + community involvement, and social engagement with gay men and LGBTQ + people. Comparisons between classes were assessed using multivariable multinomial logistic regression. Participants were allocated into four classes: 'Gay men focused' (n = 293, 28.4%) with high levels of support from gay men, 'High and diverse' (n = 75, 7.3%) with high support from people with a range of gender and sexual identities, 'Moderate overall' (n = 177, 17.2%) who reported some support from all sources, and 'Low overall' (n = 487, 47.2%) who had low support. Lifetime HIV testing was lower in the 'Low overall' (78.0%) and 'Moderate overall' (81.9%) classes compared to the 'Gay men focused' (96.9%) and 'High and diverse' (93.3%) groups. Among non-HIV-positive participants (n = 971), lifetime PrEP use was lower in the 'Low overall' (28.9%) than the 'Gay men focused' group (56.2%) but similar in the 'High and diverse' (59.7%) and 'Moderate overall' (37.5%) groups. Greater levels of social engagement with gay men and LGBTQ + people were associated with higher levels of HIV testing and PrEP use. Interventions are needed to reach GBM who are less engaged with GBMSM networks or LGBTQ + communities.

Keywords: Gay community; HIV; Men who have sex with men; Sexual health; Social networks.