299459
Association of Sexual Scripts on Internet Partner-seeking and HIV Risk among Latino Gay or Bisexual men and Transgender Women
Methods: During 2004, 643 Latino GBT individuals 18 years of age or older were recruited from Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA to participate in a survey to assess sexual scripts, Internet partner-seeking, drug use, and sexual behavior.
Results: Factor analysis revealed four sexual scripts: recreational, pleasure, relational, and typical. Multivariable regression showed that the “recreational” and “typical” scripts were positively associated and the “relational” script was negatively associated with Internet partner-seeking. Each sexual script had a direct association with one or more HIV risks: the “recreational” script was associated with sex under the influence of drugs/alcohol and number of sex partners; the “pleasure” script was associated with sex under the influence of drugs/alcohol; and the “typical” script was associated with UAI. Furthermore, among individuals endorsing “recreational” and “typical” sexual scripts, Internet partner seeking partially mediated the relationship between sexual scripts and sex under the influence of drugs/alcohol and UAI.
Conclusions: Given the potential influence of sexual scripts and Internet use on HIV risk behavior, risk-reduction interventions for Latino GBT individuals should address the internalized beliefs and expectations regarding sex and how to negotiate safe sex with Internet partners.
Learning Areas:
Diversity and cultureProtection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Describe the continued relevance, utility and application of sexual scripts as a novel approach to better understand HIV/STD risk among Latino gay or bisexual men and transgender individuals. Describe how four sexual scripts are associated with Internet partner-seeking behavior. Assess the impact of sexual scripts and Internet partner-seeking on HIV risk behavior.
Keyword(s): HIV/AIDS, HIV Risk Behavior
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am behavioral scientist with over twelve years of research experience in health policy, epidemiology, intervention development, evaluation, and behavioral surveillance. I am both a former National Institute on Drug Abuse Pre-doctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Satcher Health Policy Leadership Fellow at Morehouse School of Medicine. My research interests include psychosocial determinants, internet use, substance abuse, and HIV risk behaviors among minority men who have sex with men.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.