Exploring Factors That Underlie Racial/Ethnic Disparities in HIV Risk among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men

• DOI: 10.1007/s11524-009-9430-z
• Publication Date: 2010-02-12T12:07:15Z
• Authors: Robert Garofalo; Brian Mustanski; Amy Johnson; Erin Emerson
• Keywords: Male; Adolescent; 150; Disparities; HIV Infections; 613; Stress; Risk Assessment; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; 5. Gender equality; Risk Factors; Confidence Intervals; HIV/Aids; Humans; MSM; Homosexuality, Male; 10. No inequality; Data Collection; Racial Groups; HIV; Health Status Disparities; United States; 3. Good health; AIDS; Gay; Attitude to Health

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are among the highest risk groups for HIV, and the risk distribution varies by race/ethnicity. Prevalence rates are consistently higher for minority YMSM. Factors underlying these disparities are poorly understood. We examined disparities in HIV risk among a community-based sample of Black, Latino, and non-Hispanic Caucasian YMSM age 16-24. To address gaps in the literature, we examined factors between and within racial/ethnic groups across domains including: sexual and substance use behaviors, sexualized and other social contexts, psychological well-being, HIV attributes and prevention skills, and sexual minority stress.