Implicit Intimacy Motivation as a Correlate to Unprotected Receptive Intercourse in Men and Women Who Have Sex With Men.

Implicit Intimacy Motivation as a Correlate to Unprotected Receptive Intercourse in Men and Women Who Have Sex With Men, Donald A. Dyson, Widener University Program in Human Sexuality and New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services

In the current research environment, attention is focused on studying sexual behavior in attempts to change unsafe behavior. However, the meaning of those behaviors to people has largely been ignored. I focused on implicit intimacy motivation as measured by thematic apperception and its correlation to unprotected receptive intercourse (URI). This study utilized the Thematic Apperception Test, scoring for implicit intimacy motivation, and analyzed those scores against self-reported URI. In the analysis, no significant correlation was found between implicit intimacy and URI, bringing into question anecdotal reports of intimacy as a reason for lack of condom use. Discussion of the findings and their implications includes possible bias in the research and in the field and implications for future research into motivation.