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317803
Internalized Homophobia is not Associated with Sexual Risk Behavior Among Young Black MSM


Sunday, November 1, 2015

Richard A. Crosby, PhD, Department of Health Behavior, University of Kentucky College of Public Health, Lexington, KY
Angelica Geter, DrPH, MPH, Department of Health Behavior, University of Kentucky College of Public Health, Lexington, KY
Laura Beauchamps, MD, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Timothy Brown, MPH, University of Kentucky
DeMarc Hickson, PhD, MPH, My Brother's Keeper, INC, Ridgeland, MS
Leandro Mena, MD, MPH, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS
Assess internalized homophobia and the relationship of this construct to sexual risk behaviors in a clinic-based sample of Black MSM who reside in a southern city with high HIV seroprevalence.

Black MSM (N=400)(ages 16-29) completed a computer-assisted survey in a sexual health clinic. A series of t-tests were used to determine whether mean values of this construct differed for a series of 14 assessed sexual risk behaviors.

The questionnaire included a 7-item measure of internalized homophobia that obtained an inter-item reliability coefficient of .81, with a normal distribution ranging from low (minimal internalized homophobia) of 1.4 to high of 7.0. The mean internalized homophobia score was 3.59 (sd=1.37). Internalized homophobia did not vary as a function of any of the 14 assessed sexual risk behaviors. These sexual risk behaviors included, but were not limited to: having any unprotected anal sex as a TOP (P=.71) or as a BOTTOM (P=.20); using condoms with the most recent “first time” sex partner (P=.31); having sex with a partner who is HIV+ (P=.90); having concurrent sex partners (P=.89); having sex with casual partners (P=.39); not being tested for HIV in the past 12 months (P=.67); not being willing to take pre-exposure prophylaxis (P=.15); generally having older sex partners (P=.79).

In this sample of Black MSM, engaging in sexual risk behaviors occurred irrespective of their scores on a measure of internalized homophobia that was normally distributed. Internalized homophobia may not be a significant factor in the prediction of e sexual risk behaviors among Black MSM.

Learning Areas:

Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Evaluate the impact of internalized homophobia on the sexual behavior of young African American men.

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

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been involved been principal investigator and co-investigator of multiple federally funded grants on HIV/STI prevention. My scientific interest includes the development of interventions and strategies for preventing HIV and STIs in young African American men and women.
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: 2075.0: Men's reproductive and sexual health