A Cross-sectional Study On Depressive/Anxiety Symptoms Among Men Who Have Sex With Men

Objective: This study was designed to understand the prevalence of depressive and anxietysymptoms among men who have sex with men in Foshan, investigate the relationshipbetween their sexual behaviors and psychiatric symptoms, explore social psychologicalfactors relate on depressive and anxiety symptoms, and provide empirical evidence formental health assessment and intervention work.Methods: Respondent-driven sampling method was used to recruit men who have sex withmen that were18years or older, and living in Foshan longer than6months. The scale ofdepression and anxiety were investigated using self-rating scales, while demographicalinformation, sexual behaviors and other social psychological factors were interviewedindividually by trained interviewers using questionnaires. Respondent-Driven SamplingAnalysis Tool and SAS were used to generate crude and estimated population proportion aswell as95%confidence intervals (95%CI). Multivariate logistic regression was performedto explore potential factors associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms.Results: Among the249respondents, the mean age(SD) was31.9(8.5) years.43.5%had7~9years education while25.9%had10~12years,49.7%were currently married.56.7%were both bisexual orientation,18.6%had out of closet,42.3%met sex partners inparks/toilets and63.3%of them had their first sex with females. The estimated prevalenceof depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and comorbidity were34.8%(28.2%~42.3%),13.0%(8.8%~17.7%), and10.2%(6.8%~15.5%), respectively. Multivariate analysis showedthat, Among these factors, higher levels of self-directed aggression and cognitiveimplusivity, age of onset same-sex behaviors was less then24years old, having had oralsex only, having had unprotected anal sex with males during last6month, having hadprotected vaginal sex with females during last6month, lower quality of life, were associated with depressive symptoms, and the adjusted odd ratio(95%CI) were4.11(2.01~8.40),2.72(1.27~5.83),4.70(2.13~10.38),14.24(2.48~81.69),13.28(4.45~39.57),8.43(2.30~30.97) and3.12(1.37~7.09), respectively. While in anxiety term, lower educationlevels, unemployment, higher levels of motor impulsivity and self-directed aggression,having had anal sex only, more negative life events, were associated with anxiety symptoms,adjusted odd ratio(95%CI) were4.23(1.51~11.87),7.11(1.32~38.38),7.54(2.11~26.98),4.32(1.49-12.48),5.99(1.58~22.71) and3.07(1.14~8.25), respectively.Conclusions: Men who have sex with men appear to have a significantly increased risk fordepressive and anxiety symptoms, suggesting a need to arise awareness of mental healthamong men who have sex with men, and develop a psychological crisis evaluationprogramme and intervention for them. MSM who with unprotected same-sex behaviors,higher levels of aggression and impulsivity, more negative life events and poorer lifequality were more risky in developing depressive/anxiety symptoms. It should take botheffective measures on identifying and on reducing the occurrence of these risk factors inMSM to help promote their physical and mental health.