LOW PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN (MSM) DURING THE SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDERS TO PREVENT THE COVID-19 SPREAD: RESULTS FROM A NATIONWIDE STUDY

Camargo, E. L. S.; Oliveira, B. I. A. d.; Siffoni, I. F.; Sousa, A. R. d.; Teixeira, J. R. B.; Mendes, I. A. C.; de Sousa, A. F. L.

Introduction: Little is known about how sheltering in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 over extended periods affects individuals' psychological well-being. This study's objective was to analyze the factors associated with MSM's low psychological well-being in the COVID-19 pandemic context. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted online in the entire Brazilian territory (26 states and federal district) in April and May 2020. The participants were recruited using an adapted version of Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS). Data were collected using social media and MSM dating apps. We estimated the prevalence, crude prevalence ratio (PR), and respective confidence intervals (CI95%). Results: Only 44.4% of the sample presented high levels of well-being. Low psychological well-being appeared associated with the youngest age group (PR: 2.76; CI95%: 1.90-4.01), polyamorous relationships (PR: 2.78; CI95%: 1.51-5.11), not complying with social isolation measures (PR: 6.27; CI95%: 4.42-8.87), not using the social media to find partners (PR: 1.63; CI95%: 1.06-2.53), having multiple sexual partners (PR: 1.80; CI95%: 1.04-3.11), having reduced the number of partners (PR: 2.67; CI95%: 1.44-4.95), and group sex (PR: 1.82; CI95%: 1.23-2.69) Conclusion: The well-being of MSM living in Brazil was negatively affected during the social distancing measures intended to control the spread of COVID-19. Policy Implications: Planning and implementing public policies and actions to promote psychological well-being are needed to improve MSM's resilience through the adoption of safe strategies and behavior.