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.

Predictors of unprotected sex among young sexually active African American, Hispanic, and White MSM: the importance of ethnicity and culture.

Warren JC, Fernández MI, Harper GW, Hidalgo MA, Jamil OB, Torres RS

College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, 3200 S. University Drive, 4th Floor Terry Building, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA. wjacob@nova.edu

Despite the recognized need for culturally tailored HIV prevention interventions for gay, bisexual, and questioning youth, few studies have examined if predictors of unprotected sex vary for youth from different ethnic groups. This study reports on a sample of 189 gay, bisexual, and questioning youth (age 15-22) from three racial/ethnic backgrounds (African American, Hispanic, and White) recruited in Chicago, IL and Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, Florida. For African American youth, being in a long-term relationship, having been kicked out of the home for having sex with men, and younger age at initiation of sexual behavior were associated with unprotected sex. For Hispanic youth, higher ethnic identification and older age at initiation of sexual behavior were associated with unprotected sex. For White youth, no predictors were associated with unprotected sex. Our findings point to the importance of understanding the varying predictors of unprotected sex and integrating them into tailored prevention interventions.

Published 4 April 2008 in AIDS Behav, 12(3): 459-68.
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