Bisexuality Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bisexuality, including details on male and female, statistics, trends, psychology.

The relationship between self-reported sexual orientation and behavior in a sample of middle-aged male injection drug users.

Washington TA, Galai N, Cohn S, Celentano DD, Vlahov D, Strathdee SA

Drug Abuse Research Program, Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland.

Data are sparse on injection drug using (IDU) men who have sex with men (MSM). Previous literature suggests perceived taboos can result in an underreporting of atypical sexual orientation (i.e., bisexuality, homosexuality). As a result, HIV prevention programs have been difficult to mount, particularly programs for IDU-MSM. The association between self-reported sexual orientation and sexual behavior at semi-annual study visits was longitudinally assessed in a population of 1300 male IDUs in Baltimore during the period 1993 to 1998. Overall, a small minority (5%) of the male IDUs inconsistently reported their sexual orientation over time. Logistic regression analyses were performed, which yielded five significant predictors. These men tended to be older, to have been incarcerated, to have attended shooting galleries during follow-up, and were more than twice as likely to be HIV-seropositive (OR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.62-4.36) compared with those who consistently reported their sexual orientation. Furthermore, men reporting inconsistent sexual orientation tended to engage in higher risk behaviors, suggesting that these men should be especially targeted for interventions.

Published 27 February 2006 in Arch Sex Behav, 35(1): 67-74.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Bisexuality Research Today. All Rights Reserved.