This study examined the association between different types of integration in the gay community and HIV risk among gay male couples. Previous research linking gay community integration and involvement among couples to HIV risk has been equivocal. Each partner in 59 gay couples completed a separate anonymous questionnaire that assessed two types of social involvement in the gay community, assimilation into the gay community, and sexual HIV risk behaviors. We used the actor-partner interdependence analysis approach, which maintains the couple as the unit of analysis while allowing for tests of within-couple, between-couple, actor, and partner effects. Analyses revealed that, controlling for symptoms of alcohol problems, going to gay bars and clubs independently predicted more HIV risk.
Adib, S. M., Joseph, J. G., Ostrow, D. G., & James, S. A. (1991). Predictors of relapse in sexual practices among homosexual men. AIDS Education & Prevention, 3, 293-304.
2.
Berger, R. M. (1990). Men together: Understanding the gay couple. Journal of Homosexuality, 19, 31-49.
3.
Berkman, L. F., & Glass, T. (2000). Social integration, social networks, social support, and health. In L. F. Berkman & I. Kawachi (Eds.), Social epidemiology (pp. 137-173). New York: Oxford University Press.
4.
Bernstein, K. T., Tulloch, R., Montes, J., Bolan, G., Dyer, I. E., Lawrence, M., et al. (2001). Outbreak of syphilis among men who have sex with men: Southern California, 2000. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 50, 117-120.
5.
Bosga, M. B., de Wit, J. B., de Vroome, E. M., Houweling, H., Schop, W., & Sandfort, T. G. (1995). Differences in perception of risk for HIV infection with steady and non-steady partners among homosexual men. AIDS Education & Prevention, 7, 103-115.
6.
Cabaj, R. P. (1991). Counseling gay couples. Focus: A Guide to AIDS Research and Counseling, 6, 2-3.
7.
Caceres, C. F., & van Griensven, G. J. (1994). Male homosexual transmission of HIV-1. AIDS, 8, 1051-1061.
8.
Catania, J. A., Gibson, D. R., Chitwood, D. D., & Coates, T. J. (1990). Methodological problems in AIDS behavioral research: Influences on measurement error and participation bias in studies of sexual behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 108, 339-362.
9.
Catania, J. A., Osmond, D., Stall, R. D., Pollack, L., Paul, J. P., Blower, S., et al. (2001). The continuing HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 907-914.
10.
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (1999a). Increases in unsafe sex and rectal gonorrhea among men who have sex with men: San Francisco, California, 1994-1997. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 48, 45-48.
11.
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (1999b). Resurgent bacterial sexually transmitted disease among men who have sex with men: King County, Washington, 1997-1999. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 48, 773-777.
12.
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (2000). HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 2001, 13(2).
13.
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (2001). HIV and AIDS: United States, 1981-2000. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 50, 430-434.
14.
Chang, C. L., & Geliga-Vargas, J. (2000). Ethnic identity, gay identity, sexual sensation seeking and HIV risk taking among multiethnic men who have sex with men. AIDS Education & Prevention, 12, 326-339.
15.
Connell, R. W., Crawford, J., Dowsett, G. W., Kippax, S., Sinnott, V., Rodden, P., et al. (1990). Danger and context: Unsafe anal sexual practice among homosexual and bisexual men in the AIDS crisis. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Sociology, 26, 187-208.
16.
Dawson, J. M., Fitzpatrick, R. M., Reeves, G., Boulton, M., McLean, J., Hart, G. J., et al. (1994). Awareness of sexual partners’ HIV status as an influence upon high-risk sexual behaviour among gay men. AIDS, 8, 837-841.
17.
Dodds, J. P., Nardone, A., Mercey, D. E., & Johnson, A. M. (2000). Increase in high risk sexual behaviour among homosexual men, London 1996-8: Cross sectional, questionnaire study. British Medical Journal, 320, 1510-1511.
18.
Doll, L. S., Byers, R. H., Bolan, G., Douglas, J. M., Jr., Moss, P. M., Weller, P. D., et al. (1991). Homosexual men who engage in high-risk sexual behavior. A multicenter comparison. Sexually Transmissible Diseases, 18, 170-175.
19.
Dowsett, G. W. (1996). Practicing desire: Homosexual sex in the era of AIDS. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
20.
Duncan, S., Kanki, B. G., Mokros, H., & Fiske, D. W. (1984). Pseudounilaterality, simple-rate variables, and other ills to which interaction research is heir. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 46, 1335-1348.
21.
Ekstrand, M. L., & Coates, T. J. (1990). Maintenance of safer sexual behaviors and predictors of risky sex: The San Francisco Men’s Health Study. American Journal of Public Health, 80, 973-977.
22.
Fox, K. K., del Rio, C., Holmes, K. K., Hook, E. W., III, Judson, F. N., Knapp, J. S., et al. (2001). Gonorrhea in the HIV era: A reversal in trends among men who have sex with men. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 959-964.
23.
Gold, R. S., Skinner, M. J., & Rosenthal, D. A. (1994). Links with the gay community and the maintenance of safer sex. Medical Journal of Australia, 160, 591-592.
24.
Hays, R. B., Kegeles, S. M., & Coates, T. J. (1997). Unprotected sex and HIV risk taking among young gay men within boyfriend relationships. AIDS Education & Prevention, 9, 314-329.
25.
Hays, R. B., Turner, H., & Coates, T. J. (1992). Social support, AIDS-related symptoms, and depression among gay men. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 463-469.
26.
Heaney, C. A., & Israel, B. A. (1997). Social networks and social support. In K. Glanz, F. M. Lewis, & B. K. Rimer (Eds.), Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed., pp. 179-205). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
27.
Hoff, C. C., Coates, T. J., Barrett, D. C., Collette, L., & Ekstrand, M. (1996). Differences between gay men in primary relationships and single men: Implications for prevention. AIDS Education & Prevention, 8, 546-559.
28.
House, J. S., Landis, K. R., & Umberson, D. (1988). Social relationships and health. Science, 241, 540-545.
29.
Joseph, K. M., Adib, S. M., Joseph, J. G., & Tal, M. (1991). Gay identity and risky sexual behavior related to the AIDS threat. Journal of Community Health, 16, 287-297.
30.
Kalichman, S. C., Heckman, T., & Kelly, J. A. (1996). Sensation seeking as an explanation for the association between substance use and HIV-related risky sexual behavior. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 25, 141-154.
31.
Kashy, D. A., & Kenny, D. A. (2000). The analysis of data from dyads and groups. In H. T. Reis & C. M. Judd (Eds.), Handbook of research methods in social psychology (pp. 451-477). New York: Cambridge University Press.
32.
Kelly, J. A., Murphy, D. A., Sikkema, K. J., McAuliffe, T. L., Roffman, R. A., Solomon, L. J., et al. (1997). Randomised, controlled, community-level HIV-prevention intervention for sexual-risk behaviour among homosexual men in U.S. cities. Community HIV Prevention Research Collaborative. Lancet, 350, 1500-1505.
33.
Kenny, D. A. (1996). Models of non-independence in dyadic research. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 13, 279-229.
34.
Kenny, D. A., & Judd, C. (1986). Consequences of violating the independence assumptions in analysis of variance. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 422-431.
35.
Kippax, S. (2002). Negotiated safety agreements among gay men. In A. O’Leary (Ed.), Beyond condoms: Alternative approaches to HIV prevention (pp. 1-15). New York: Kluwer.
36.
Kippax, S., Connell, R. W., Dowsett, G. W., & Crawford, J. (1993). Sustaining safe sex: Gay communities respond to AIDS. London: Falmer.
37.
Kippax, S., Crawford, J., Connell, B., Dowsett, G., Watson, L., Rodden, P., et al. (1992). The importance of gay community in the prevention of HIV transmission: A study of Australian men who have sex with men. In P. Aggleton, P. Davies, & G. Hart (Eds.), AIDS: Rights, risk, and reason (pp. 102-118). London: Falmer.
38.
Kippax, S., Noble, J., Prestage, G., Crawford, J. M., Campbell, D., Baxter, D., et al. (1997). Sexual negotiation in the AIDS era: Negotiated safety revisited. AIDS, 11, 191-197.
39.
Lewis, M. A. (1992). The influence of social control on health behaviors and psychological distress. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Irvine.
40.
Mansergh, G., Colfax, G. N., Marks, G., Rader, M., Guzman, R., & Buchbinder, S. (2001). The Circuit Party Men’s Health Survey: Findings and implications for gay and bisexual men. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 953-958.
41.
Martin, J. I., & Knox, J. (1997). Self-esteem instability and its implications for HIV prevention among gay men. Health & Social Work, 22, 264-273.
42.
McKusick, L., Coates, T. J., Morin, S. F., Pollack, L., & Hoff, C. (1990). Longitudinal predictors of reductions in unprotected anal intercourse among gay men in San Francisco: The AIDS Behavioral Research Project. American Journal of Public Health, 80, 978-983.
43.
McLean, J., Boulton, M., Brookes, M., Lakhani, D., Fitzpatrick, R., Dawson, J., et al. (1994). Regular partners and risky behaviour: Why do gay men have unprotected intercourse?AIDS Care, 6, 331-341.
44.
Meyer, I. H., & Dean, L. (1995). Patterns of sexual behavior and risk taking among young New York City gay men. AIDS Education & Prevention, 7, 13-23.
45.
Meyer, I. H., & Dean, L. (1998). Internalized homophobia, intimacy, and sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men. In G. M. Herek (Ed.), Stigma and sexual orientation: Understanding prejudice against lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (pp. 160-186). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
46.
Radkowsky, M., & Siegel, L. J. (1997). The gay adolescent: Stressors, adaptations, and psychosocial interventions. Clinical Psychology Review, 17, 191-216.
47.
Ratti, R., Bakeman, R., & Peterson, J. L. (2000). Correlates of high-risk sexual behaviour among Canadian men of South Asian and European origin who have sex with men. AIDS Care, 12, 193-202.
48.
Remien, R. H., Carballo-Dieguez, A., & Wagner, G. (1995). Intimacy and sexual risk behaviour in serodiscordant male couples. AIDS Care, 7, 429-438.
49.
Rosario, M., Hunter, J., Maguen, S., Gwadz, M., & Smith, R. (2001). The coming-out process and its adaptational and health-related associations among gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths: Stipulation and exploration of a model. American Journal of Community Psychology, 29, 133-160.
50.
Rotello, G. (1997). Sexual ecology: AIDS and the destiny of gay men. New York: Dutton.
51.
Satterthwaite, F. W. (1946). An approximate distribution of estimates of variance components. Biometrics Bulletin, 2, 110-114.
52.
Seeman, T. E. (1996). Social ties and health: The benefits of social integration. Annals of Epidemiology, 6, 442-451.
53.
Seibt, A. C., Ross, M. W., Freeman, A., Krepcho, M., Hedrich, A., McAlister, A., et al. (1995). Relationship between safe sex and acculturation into the gay subculture. AIDS Care, 7, S85-S88.
54.
Sell, R. L., & Becker, J. B. (2001). Sexual orientation data collection and progress toward Healthy People 2010. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 876-882.
55.
Stall, R., Ekstrand, M., Pollack, L., McKusick, L., & Coates, T. J. (1990). Relapse from safer sex: The next challenge for AIDS prevention efforts. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, 3, 1181-1187.
56.
Stevenson, H. C., Reed, J., Bodison, P., & Bishop, A. (1977). Racism stress management—racial socialization beliefs and the experience of depression and anger in African American youth. Youth & Society, 29, 197-222.
57.
Stokes, J. P., & Peterson, J. L. (1998). Homophobia, self-esteem, and risk for HIV among African American men who have sex with men. AIDS Education & Prevention, 10, 278-292.
58.
Strathdee, S. A., Hogg, R. S., Martindale, S. L., Cornelisse, P. G., Craib, K. J., Montaner, J. S., et al. (1998). Determinants of sexual risk-taking among young HIV-negative gay and bisexual men. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome & Human Retrovirology, 19, 61-66.
59.
Valleroy, L., Secura, G., MacKellar, D., & Behel, S. (2001, February). Young Men’s Study Group. High HIV and risk behavior prevalence among 23- to 29-year-old men who have sex with men in 6 U.S. cities. Paper presented at the 8th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Chicago.
60.
van de Ven, P., Noble, J., Kippax, S., Prestage, G., Crawford, J., Baxter, D., et al. (1997). Gay youth and their precautionary sexual behaviors: The Sydney men and sexual health study. AIDS Education & Prevention, 9, 395-410.
61.
van de Ven, P., Prestage, G., French, J., Knox, S., & Kippax, S. (1998). Increase in unprotected anal intercourse with casual partners among Sydney gay men in 1996-98. Australia & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 22, 814-818.
62.
Van Gorder, D. (1995). Building community and culture are essential to successful HIV prevention for gay and bisexual men. AIDS Public Policy Journal, 10, 65-74.
63.
Wallerstein, N., Sanchez-Merki, V., & Dow, L. (1997). Freirian praxis in health education and community organizing: A case study of an adolescent prevention program. In M. Minkler (Ed.), Community organizing and community building for health (pp. 195-211). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
64.
Wolitski, R. J., Valdiserri, R. O., Denning, P. H., & Levine, W. C. (2001). Are we headed for a resurgence of the HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men?American Journal of Public Health, 91, 883-888.
65.
Zimmerman, M. A., Ramirez-Valles, J., Suarez, E., de la Rosa, G., & Castro, M. A. (1997). An HIV/AIDS prevention project for Mexican homosexual men: An empowerment approach. Health Education & Behavior, 24, 177-190.
