Sense of loneliness associated with multiple sex partners among 264 men who have sex with men in Shanghai

Objective To study the loneliness among men who have sex with men(MSM) and to explore the relationship between feeling lonely and having multiple sex partners. Methods A cross-sectional study using snowball sampling techniques was conducted among 264 MSM in Shanghai from March 2015 to June 2015. Socio-demographic information, number of sexual partners, evaluation of the sense of loneliness were collected by questionnaires. Results The proportion of loneliness was 17.4%, and that of multiple sex partners was 52.7%. Univariate as well as multivariate logistic regression analysis showed non-local household registration (OR=2.08, 95%CI:1.20-3.63), and high lonely sense (OR=2.00, 95%CI:1.01-3.94) were risk factors for multiple sexual partners behavior. Conclusion Attention should be paid to loneliness problem during the behavior intervention among MSM.