Homonegativity, Substance Use, Sexual Risk Behaviors, and HIV Status in Poor and Ethnic Men Who Have Sex with Men in Los Angeles |
| |
Authors: | Steven Shoptaw Robert E Weiss Brett Munjas Christopher Hucks-Ortiz Sean D Young Sherry Larkins Gregory D Victorianne and Pamina M Gorbach |
| |
Institution: | (1) David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA;(2) Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA;(3) Department of Biostatistics, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA;(4) Division of Infectious Disease, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA;(5) Department of Epidemiology, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA |
| |
Abstract: | This study evaluates associations between internalized homonegativity and demographic factors, drug use behaviors, sexual
risk behaviors, and HIV status among men who have sex with men (MSM) and with men and women (MSM/W). Participants were recruited
in Los Angeles County using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) and completed the Internalized Homonegativity Inventory (IHNI)
and questionnaires on demographic and behavioral factors. Biological samples were tested for HIV and for recent cocaine, methamphetamine,
and heroin use. The 722 MSM and MSM/W participants were predominantly African American (44%) and Hispanic (28%), unemployed
(82%), homeless (50%), and HIV positive (48%) who used drugs in the past 6 months (79.5%). Total and Personal Homonegativity,
Gay Affirmation, and Morality of Homosexuality IHNI scores were significantly higher for African American men than for other
ethnicities, for MSM/W than for MSM, for recent cocaine users than for recent methamphetamine users, and for HIV-seronegative
men than for HIV-seropositive men. Linear regression showed the Gay Affirmation scale significantly and inversely correlated
with the number of sexual partners when controlling for effects of ethnicity/race and sexual identification, particularly
for men who self-identified as straight. Highest IHNI scores were observed in a small group of MSM/W (n = 62) who never tested for HIV. Of these, 26% tested HIV positive. Findings describe ways in which internalized homophobia
is a barrier to HIV testing and associated HIV infection and signal distinctions among participants in this sample that can
inform targeted HIV prevention efforts aimed at increasing HIV testing. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|