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. 2023 Dec 16;23:2524. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-17416-7

Table 2.

Univariable and multivariable linear regression of key sociodemographic characteristics and MOS-SSS scale score

Univariable Linear Regressions Multivariable Linear Regression
Variables B coefficienta (95% CI) P-value B coefficienta (95% CI) P-value
Age at interview
Less than 40 Ref Not selectedb
40 to 49 4.57 (-1.78, 10.91) 0.159
50 to 59 3.09 (-2.93, 9.12) 0.315
60 or more 2.30 (-4.85, 9.46) 0.528
Gender
Male Ref
Female 4.58 (-0.69, 9.86) 0.089 Not selectedb
Other 5.04 (-11.05, 21.13) 0.539
Sex orientation
Heterosexual Ref
Homosexual -1.07 (-5.87, 3.73) 0.662
Other -2.36 (-8.55, 3.82) 0.454
Current relationship status
Married/Common Law/Steady Partner Ref Ref
Single/Dating/Divorced/ Separated/Other -22.25 (-26.43, -18.07) < 0.001 -21.23 (-25.60, -16.85) < 0.001
Key populations
MSM only Ref
IDU only 2.00 (-3.65, 7.65) 0.488
Neither MSM nor IDU -2.34 (-7.93, 3.24) 0.411
Both MSM and IDU -9.21 (-18.13, -0.29) 0.043
Geographic location
Metropolitan Vancouver Areac Ref Not selectedb
Outside Metropolitan Vancouver Area − 0.039 (-5.08, 4.31) 0.871
Ethnicity
Caucasian Ref Ref
Indigenous 4.65 (-1.46, 10.77) 0.136 7.40 (1.47, 13.32) 0.015
Asian/African/Black/Caribbean/Latin -4.01 (-12.19, 4.17) 0.337 -6.07 (-13.77, 1.64) 0.123
Other -0.70 (-9.05, 7.65) 0.869 2.50 (-5.21, 10.22) 0.525
Highest education
Less than high school Ref
Completed high school -1.65 (-7.70, 4.40) 0.593
Completed greater than high school -4.38 (-9.88, 1.11) 0.118
Employment status
Working Ref Not selectedb
Unemployed -5.04 (-9.96, -0.13) 0.044
Other -1.26 (-6.90, 4.38) 0.662
Incarceration ever

No

Yes

Ref

1.08 (-3.45, 5.62)

0.640 Not selectedb
Homelessness in the last 12 months

No

Yes

Ref

-6.35 (-12.64, -0.05)

0.048 Not selectedb
Housing stability d
Stable Ref
Neutral -8.26 (-15.89, -0.63) 0.034
Not stable -18.43 (-24.47, -12.38) < 0.001
Mental health diagnosis ever

No

Yes

Ref

-7.03 (-11.56, -2.50)

0.002

Ref

-4.17 (-8.47, 0.13)

0.057
Recent hazardous alcohol use
No Ref
Yes 3.61 (-0.77, 8.00) 0.106
Lifetime violence (n = 594)

No

Yes

Ref

-6.22 (-11.40, -1.05)

0.018

Ref

-5.73 (-10.74, -0.73)

0.025
Sexual activity in the last 12 months (n = 590)

No

Yes

Ref

8.25 (3.75, 12.75)

0.000

Ref

4.84 (0.42, 9.26)

0.032
History of IDU
Never Ref Ref
Yes but more than a year ago 2.69 (-2.67, 8.05) 0.326 6.58 (1.43, 11.73) 0.012
Yes in the past year -6.68 (-12.21, -1.15) 0.018 -2.07 (-7.47, 3.34) 0.453

Bold text refers to p-values < 0.05

CI: confidence interval

MSM: men who have sex with men

IDU: injection drug use

aB coefficient is used to represent the unstandardized beta coefficient

bExplanatory variables were selected for potential inclusion in the multivariable model based on univariable associations and a priori knowledge from previous literature and consultation with living experience. Model selections were conducted using a backward stepwise technique which is based on Type III p-values and Akaike information criterion (AIC). The variable with the highest Type III p-value was dropped at each step of the selection process until the model reached the lowest AIC, with a lower AIC indicating better model fit

cMetropolitan Vancouver Area includes Vancouver, the largest metropolitan area in BC and the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health Authorities

dHousing stability is defined as whether an individual feels their housing situation is stable (i.e. housing is safe, secure and affordable)