Men who have sex with men
(MSM) continue to be at higher risk for negative health outcomes including HIV,
STIs, depression, substance use, suicidality, and anxiety. Associative
relationships between homonegativity (internal and external) and these outcomes
are used to explain the observed disproportionate impact.
The current study
assessed associations between internalized homonegativity and high-risk
behaviours, markers of substance use and symptoms of mental illness as well as
openness and level of same sex attraction. A 2013 Internet-based survey was
conducted among MSM, collecting data on socio-demographics, sexuality, drug and
alcohol use, mental health, suicidality, and internalized homonegativity.
The
sample (n = 265) had a median age of 31 years, with 85 %
employed at least part-time; at least a college-level education in 43 %;
and 87 % lived in an urban setting. Sexual orientation was reported as:
gay, 72 %; bisexual 23 %; other 5 %. Almost all men (97 %)
reported ever having sex with a man, with more than one-third (36 %)
having a steady male partner.
Statistically significant higher homonegativity
scores were detected among men reporting any level of opposite sex attraction
compared to men attracted to only men; mostly men (p = 0.001), men
and women equally (p = 0.002), and mostly women
(p = 0.004), as well as less openness of same sex attraction to family
and friends; >50 % family (p = 0.032), no family knowing
(p = 0.042), and few friends knowing (p = 0.011). Anxiety
risk and increased homonegativity also had a statistically significant
increasing relationship.
The identified associations between homonegativity and
opposite sex attraction among MSM warrants further exploration as well as the
relationship with increased anxiety risk.
Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/iY7KOJ
- 1West Virginia University School of Public Health, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA. rdparker@hsc.wvu.edu.
- 2Infectious Diseases and Drug Monitoring Department, National Institute for Health Development, Hiiu 42, 11619, Tallinn, Estonia.
- 3West Virginia University School of Public Health, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
- J Community Health. 2016 Jan 4.
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv
insight
No comments:
Post a Comment