Mediation Analysis of Peer Norms, Self-Efficacy, and Condom Use Among Chinese Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Parallel Process Latent Growth Curve Model

The objective of this study was to examine direct and indirect relationships among peer norms, self-efficacy, and condom use among Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM). A longitudinal study determined the effectiveness of a condom use video promotion among Chinese MSM in 2015. In this analysis, 804 Chinese MSM were recruited at baseline and then followed at 3 weeks and 3 months after the intervention. Parallel process latent growth curve modeling (LGM) with multiple indicators and bootstrapping was conducted using Mplus 7.4. The LGM model fit indexes were good with RMSEA = 0.046, 90% CI (0.044, 0.048), CFI = 0.956, TLI = 0.955. Our results showed that the initial measure of peer norms affected the initial measure of condom use indirectly through the initial measure of self-efficacy (αβ = 0.414, 95% CI 0.260-0.759). The rate of change in peer norms over time also significantly affected the rate of change in condom use through the rate of change in self-efficacy (αβ = 0.101, 95% CI 0.014-0.262). Self-efficacy mediated the association between peer norms and condom use, indicating a strong potential of causal relationship between peer norms and self-efficacy among Chinese MSM.