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Updated: May 12, 2026

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats
Published on: February 20, 2019
Conflict and expectancies interact to predict sexual behavior under the influence among gay and bisexual men
Brooke E Wells1, Tyrel J Starks1, Jeffrey T Parsons2
1Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training (CHEST), New York, NY, USA.
Abstract:
As the mechanisms of the associations between substance use and risky sex remain unclear, this study investigates the interactive roles of conflicts about casual sex and condom use and expectancies of the sexual effects of substances in those associations among gay men. Conflict interacted with expectancies to predict sexual behavior under the influence; low casual sex conflict coupled with high expectancies predicted the highest number of casual partners, and high condom use conflict and high expectancies predicted the highest number of unprotected sex acts. Results have implications for intervention efforts that aim to improve sexual decision-making and reduce sexual expectancies.
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