{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T16:46:07Z","timestamp":1791477967805,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,21]],"date-time":"2025-08-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755734400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"2022 Ministry of Education of China Humanities and Social Science Youth Foundation Project","award":["22YJC790189"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["22YJC790189"]}]},{"name":"Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science, NYU Shanghai Open Topic Grants","award":["Grant No.2023YWZhou_LOUD"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Grant No.2023YWZhou_LOUD"]}]},{"name":"Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders Foundation Project"},{"name":"Shanghai University Young Teachers Cultivation and Support Project"},{"name":"National Social Science Foundation of China Post-funding Project","award":["24FJB002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["24FJB002"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This study aims to examine the levels of anxiety symptoms and perceived social support among the men who have sex with men (MSM) population, to assess the level of both anxiety and low social support, and associated factors in this population.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Method<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The study used an Internet service platform for MSM between March and June 2024. Sociodemographic information, laboratory test data, and scores from the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) were collected among men who have sex with men (MSM). Decision tree model and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the factors associated with anxiety with low perceived social support.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A total of 1070 MSM respondents were recruited, of whom 19.6% had anxiety symptoms, and 12.90% had low social support. The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was significantly higher among individuals with low social support (38.41%) than among those with medium or high social support (16.95%) (P\u2009&lt;\u20090.001). Specifically, 4.95% of all respondents had both anxiety and low social support. Logistic regression analysis showed that employment status (P\u2009=\u20090.028), self-esteem (P\u2009&lt;\u20090.001) and psychological resilience (P\u2009&lt;\u20090.001) were significant factors associated with both anxiety symptoms and low social support in the MSM population. Furthermore, the decision tree model identified self-esteem and psychological resilience as key predictors of both anxiety and low social support in the MSM population (all P\u2009&lt;\u20090.05).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Our study demonstrated that in the MSM population in China\u2019s eastern region, the prevalence of both anxiety and low social support was relatively low. Employment status, self-esteem, and psychological resilience were identified as significantly correlated factors for them. To effectively reduce anxiety in this population, interventions should focus on enhancing these factors.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0329121","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,21]],"date-time":"2025-08-21T17:46:22Z","timestamp":1755798382000},"page":"e0329121","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Assessment of anxiety symptoms with low social support and associated factors among men who have sex with men (MSM): A cross-sectional 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