Body esteem, partner body type, and risky sex among men who have sex with men: A terror management account

The present research utilized the Terror Management Health Model (TMHM; Goldenberg & Arndt, 2008) to examine the role of body esteem and partner body type as potential drivers of sexual risk behavior among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). A fundamental premise of TMHM is that when individuals are aware of their mortality, they are motivated to act in ways that are aligned with their cultural worldview and bolster their self-esteem. Two online experiments were conducted to test two hypotheses: 1) MSM possessing higher body esteem would be more tempted to engage in risky sex when mortality was salient, and 2) MSM paired with a sexual target possessing a more ideal physique than they themselves possessed would endorse greater willingness to engage in unprotected sex than participants paired with targets with a relatively less desirable body type. Analyses revealed that, contrary to predictions, neither body esteem nor mortality salience significantly increased the prediction of temptation to engage in risky sex. Further, no relationship was found between mortality salience, partner body type, and willingness to engage in risky sex. The clinical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed.