142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Experiences of Pleasure & Satisfaction in a Sample of Young Black Same-Gender Loving Men (YBSGLM)

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Renata Arrington-Sanders, MD, MPH, ScM , Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Anthony Morgan , Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Adedotun Ogunbajo, MHS , Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Jessica Oidtman, BA , Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Maria Trent, MD, MPH , Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Gary W. Harper, PhD, MPH , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
J. Dennis Fortenberry, MD, MS , Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Background: Researchers acknowledge a need to examine early romantic relationships in YBSGLM because experiences of pleasure in such relationships may impact sexual trajectory and subsequent risk behaviors.

Methods: We recruited 45 urban YBSGLM (age 15-19) from clinics, venues, Internet (Jack’d), and snowball sampling to complete a baseline 90-minute, semi-structured interview in order to understand concepts of sexual pleasure/satisfaction during first same-sex penetrative experiences (FSSPE).  Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using inductive open-coding to develop major themes.

Results: Mean age was 17.9 yrs (SD 1.9).  Most (N=30, 68%) identified as gay. Median number of partners in the prior 6 months was 3.6 (range 0 - 32). Most (57%, N=24) described being extremely or very physically satisfied during first sex and 48% (n = 22) experienced an orgasm.  Positive expectation of sex and three specific factors emerged around whether the experience was pleasurable: partner (partner type, physical aspects [penis size], attractiveness/emotional connection to partner), contextual (marijuana use before sex (relaxation), location, relationship status) and physical mechanism of sex (condom/lubrication use and position (top/bottom)). Youth used pleasure to validate sexuality, gain sexual experience and for sexual-role clarification.

Conclusions: This work highlights that pleasure may be critical for young men to sort through developmentally important aspects of sexual development and the complexity of pleasure in early sexual experiences. Further work should explore the impact of those experiences on future behavior in order to support healthy sexual decision-making and design public health strategies that reduce risk for HIV among YBSGLM.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the multidimensional factors that contribute to pleasure during first same-sex penetrative experiences of an urban sample of young black same-gender loving men

Keyword(s): Adolescents, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal on multiple federally funded grants focused on the sexual development and risk prevention of black gay and bisexual adolescent men and other 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.

Back to: 4439.0: Sexual minority men’s health (including gay men, bisexual men, and/or MSM/MSMW)