86 research outputs found
Minority Stress Theory: An Examination of Factors Surrounding Sexual Risk Behavior Among Gay and Bisexual Men Who Use Club Drugs
Background: Few studies have examined the impact of minority stress theory (MST) upon sexual risk behavior among gay and bisexual men using club drugs. Similar studies have focused on ethnic minorities and women; however, gay and bisexual men demonstrate greater likelihood for risk behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS. Objective: This study examines sexual risk behavior from the perspective of minority stress theory upon substance-using gay and bisexual men and their partners. Methods: Multivariable logistic regression analysis examined minority stress associations with participant sexual risk behaviors, drug use, and partner type, controlling for demographics. Results: 396 gay and 54 bisexual respondents, ages 18–67, reported at least one-time drug use while engaging in sexual risk behavior. In the adjusted model, expectations of rejection associated with lower odds of sexual risk behavior, while older age approached significance. Conclusions: Theoretical origins for examining risk behavior among gay and bisexual men may underscore risk and protective factors, while ultimately holding implications for prevention and treatment interventions
Early national trends in non-abortion reproductive care access after Roe
BackgroundRoe was overturned in 2022. No peer-reviewed evidence exists for the indirect spillover effects of overturning Roe on non-abortion reproductive care access for diverse patient populations.MethodsNational data were from 2013–2023 HHS Title X Directory, 2013–2020 CDC Artificial Reproductive Technologies (ART) Surveillance and 2021–2023 manual collection, and Guttmacher Institute. Outcome measures included numbers of ART clinics and Title X entities. Title X entities are those that receive federal funds to establish and operate voluntary family planning projects, especially for low-income patients. We reported pre-and post-Roe changes, associations between changes in measures and abortions, and characteristics of changed measures by region and political geography.ResultsPost-Roe America witnessed national declines of 1.03% in ART clinics and 18.34% in Title X entities, and average state decreases of 0.08 ART clinics (p < 0.05) and 18 Title X entities (p < 0.001). State-level ART clinic closures and abortion reductions had little association except for Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New York, and California. Plummets in Title X entities and abortions were positively associated: Reducing 100 abortions was associated with defunding two Title X entities (p < 0.05). The South experienced the largest losses of both, while 83.39% of lost Title X entities were in states that voted Republican in the 2020 presidential election, disproportionate to the 49.02% of states that voted Republican and the 42.52% of US population residing in these states.ConclusionWe provide one of the first few evidence of spillover impacts of overturning Roe on non-abortion care access for diverse populations: low-income men and women, single parents by choice, and biologically and socially infertile patients. Early evidence warns of worsening challenges of inequities and calls for immediate policy actions
The Urban Environment and Sexual Risk Behavior among Men who have Sex with Men
Increasingly, studies show that characteristics of the urban environment
influence a wide variety of health behaviors and disease outcomes, yet few studies have
focused on the sexual risk behaviors of men who have sex with men (MSM). This focus
is important as many gay men reside in or move to urban areas, and sexual risk
behaviors and associated outcomes have increased among some urban MSM in recent
years. As interventions aimed at changing individual-level risk behaviors have shown
mainly short-term effects, consideration of broader environmental influences is needed.
Previous efforts to assess the influence of environmental characteristics on sexual
behaviors and related health outcomes among the general population have generally
applied three theories as explanatory models: physical disorder, social disorganization
and social norms theories. In these models, the intervening mechanisms specified to
link environmental characteristics to individual-level outcomes include stress, collective
efficacy, and social influence processes, respectively. Whether these models can be
empirically supported in generating inferences about the sexual behavior of urban
MSM is underdeveloped. Conceptualizing sexual risk among MSM to include social
and physical environmental characteristics provides a basis for generating novel and
holistic disease prevention and health promotion interventions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/40373/2/Frye_The Urban Environment and Sexual Risk_2006.pd
Neighborhood-Level Correlates of Consistent Condom Use among Men Who have Sex with Men: A Multi-Level Analysis
http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61277/1/Frye.et.al.Neighborhood-LevelCorrelatesofConsistantCondomUse.pd
Ensuring Survey Research Data Integrity in the Era of Internet Bots
We used an internet-based survey platform to conduct a cross-sectional survey regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ + population in the United States. While this method of data collection was quick and inexpensive, the data collected required extensive cleaning due to the infiltration of bots. Based on this experience, we provide recommendations for ensuring data integrity. Recruitment conducted between May 7 and 8, 2020 resulted in an initial sample of 1251 responses. The Qualtrics survey was disseminated via social media and professional association listservs. After noticing data discrepancies, research staff developed a rigorous data cleaning protocol. A second wave of recruitment was conducted on June 11–12, 2020 using the original recruitment methods. The five-step data cleaning protocol led to the removal of 773 (61.8%) surveys from the initial dataset, resulting in a sample of 478 participants in the first wave of data collection. The protocol led to the removal of 46 (31.9%) surveys from the second two-day wave of data collection, resulting in a sample of 98 participants in the second wave of data collection. After verifying the two-day pilot process was effective at screening for bots, the survey was reopened for a third wave of data collection resulting in a total of 709 responses, which were identified as an additional 514 (72.5%) valid participants and led to the removal of an additional 194 (27.4%) possible bots. The final analytic sample consists of 1090 participants. Although a useful and efficient research tool, especially among hard-to-reach populations, internet-based research is vulnerable to bots and mischievous responders, despite survey platforms’ built-in protections. Beyond the depletion of research funds, bot infiltration threatens data integrity and may disproportionately harm research with marginalized populations. Based on our experience, we recommend the use of strategies such as qualitative questions, duplicate demographic questions, and incentive raffles to reduce likelihood of mischievous respondents. These protections can be undertaken to ensure data integrity and facilitate research on vulnerable populations
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