Abstract
Purpose: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disproportionately affects men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States. Most prior research into drivers of HIV transmission has focused on individual characteristics rather than on dyadic-level behaviors such as sex partner selection. This article explores racial/ethnic preferences in sex and relationship partner selection among MSM to further contextualize the spread of HIV within minority groups. Methods: Participants were recruited through a mobile application (app) for men to meet other men in 2015 and completed an online survey on behaviors related to HIV risk. All analyses on the sample of 530 MSM were conducted in 2015. Results: There was significant homophily in partner selection within racial/ethnic minorities, but not for white MSM. In general, mobile app-using MSM reported a general preference for white and Hispanic men and a dispreference for black and Asian men, both for sex and relationship partners. Conclusion: Racial/ethnic preferences were found to drive intentions to form partnerships within this sample. Combined with the stigma many of these racial/ethnic minorities may also feel from homophobic attitudes within their own racial/ethnic communities, these MSM may be at particular risk for social isolation. These partner preferences likely affect the structure of the sexual networks of MSM and may contribute to increased clustering within high HIV incident sexual networks.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 225-232 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | LGBT Health |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1 2016 |
Funding
The authors would like to give special thanks to Krystal Madkins and Craig Sineath for managing the advertisement campaign and to Katie Andrews for survey programming and datamanagement. Data for this study were gathered in concert with online recruitment efforts for the Keep It Up! randomized clinical trial funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA035145, PI: Mustanski). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. No financial disclosures were reported by the authors of this article.
Keywords
- apps
- human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- men who have sex with men (MSM)
- partner preference
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Urology
- Dermatology
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
