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Predictors of Unprotected Sex among Young Sexually Active African American, Hispanic, and White MSM: The Importance of Ethnicity and Culture

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

The Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) is funded by grant No. U01 HD40506-01 from the National Institutes of Health through the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Bill Kappogianis, MD; Sonia Lee, PhD) with supplemental funding from the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (Nicolette Borek, PhD) and Mental Health (Susannah Allison, PhD; Pim Brouwers, PhD). We would like to thank Larry Friedman, MD, PI of the Miami Adolescent Trials Unit and the staff of the Behavioral Health Promotion Program (Cesar deFuentes, Luis Alzamora, Cristobal Plaza, and Leah Varga) and participating staff at DePaul University (Bianca Wilson). ATN 020 has been scientifically reviewed by the ATN’s Behavioral Leadership Group. We would also like to thank individuals from the ATN Data and Operations Center (Westat, Inc.) including Jim Korelitz, PhD; Barbara Driver, RN, MS; and individuals from the ATN Coordinating Center at the University of Alabama including Craig Wilson, MD; Cindy Partlow, MEd; Marcia Berck, BA; and Pam Gore. Additionally, we would like to acknowledge the thoughtful input given by participants of our national and local Youth Community Advisory Boards. Finally, we would like to thank the young men who participated in this study, whose willingness to share their own stories makes our work possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

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

    Jacob C. Warren & M. Isabel Fernández

  2. Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Gary W. Harper, Marco A. Hidalgo, Omar B. Jamil & Rodrigo Sebastián Torres

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  1. Jacob C. Warren
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  2. M. Isabel Fernández
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Correspondence to Jacob C. Warren.

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Warren, J.C., Fernández, M.I., Harper, G.W. et al. Predictors of Unprotected Sex among Young Sexually Active African American, Hispanic, and White MSM: The Importance of Ethnicity and Culture. AIDS Behav 12, 459–468 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-007-9291-y

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