Racial and Sexual Orientation Identity and Social Support as Predictors of Sexual Risk-Taking Behavior Among African-American Men Who Have Sex With Men

Results from the Young Men’s Survey (Valleroy et al, 2000) suggest that two factors associated with HIV risk among MSMs: 1) being a member of an ethnic/racial minority and 2) history of a**l sex with another man. Furthermore, the literature suggests that gay men who do not accept their sexual identity practice risky sexual behaviors more than gay men who are more accepting of their sexual identity (Meyer et al, 1995). Furthermore, researchers have suggested that MSMs who have positive ethnic or sexual orientation identities were less likely than other MSMs to engage in HIV risk-taking behaviors, such as unprotected sexual contact (Peterson & Marin, 1988; Seibt et al, 1993). Gay African-Americans who affirm their sexual orientation identity feel they are perceived by other African Americans as abandoning ties to the African-American community and assuming another minority group status (Stokes & Peterson, 1998). Trobst, Herbst, Masters, and Costa (2002) found that within a sample consisting primarily of African Americans, individuals tended to engage in high risk behaviors, such as casual sex, to cope with emotional distress, such as poor social support. The primary aim of this study was to examine whether reported racial/sexual orientation identity and social support predict sexual risk-taking behaviors among African American men who have sex with men. The participants were 637 African American men who reported at least one sexual experience with another man. This project was a secondary analysis of a sample that participated in a national questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to predict sexual risk from racial/sexual orientation and social support variables. In particular, social support variables were tested as possible mediator variables between racial/sexual orientation and sexual risk. Results from the study suggest that racial/sexual identification is not a significant predictor of sexual risk behavior and, as a result, social support is not a mediator between the two. In addition, there was not a relationship between social support and sexual risk behaviors. However, there was an association between racial/sexual identification and social support, which may be an area of further research.