Impact of Religiosity on the Sexual Risk Behaviors of Young Men Who Have Sex With Men

Abstract

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM), particularly Black YMSM, bear a disproportionate burden of new HIV infections in the U.S. Several studies support the positive and protective role of religion in health and the prevention of morbidity and mortality. However, little empirical research has been conducted looking at religion with the context of YMSM and HIV prevention. We examined the impact of religious attendance and faithfulness on sexual risk among a community-based sample of 450 YMSM in Chicago ages 16 to 20. Participants were mostly racial/ethnic minorities, i.e., Black (53.4%) and Latino (19.9%). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that faithfulness in combination with frequent formal religious attendance was associated with a decrease in reported number of unprotected anal sex acts, including unprotected receptive anal sex with male partners. These association trends were also found for the Black YMSM in our sample suggesting that religious involvement and faithfulness is a potential protective factor for the acquisition of HIV among this high-risk population.

The Intersection of Sociocultural Factors and Health-Related Behavior in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth

“…Prior work of racially diverse YBMSM suggests faithfulness and frequent formal religious attendance was associated with less condomless anal intercourse with male partners [90]. …”

Satisfaction and Condomless Anal Sex at Sexual Debut and Sexual Risk Among Young Black Same-Sex Attracted Men

“…At the individual level, sexual identity development and perceptions of first same-sex sexual experiences may be uniquely influenced by body image (Cash, Maikkula, & Yamamiya, 2004; Wilton, 2009) and religiosity (Garofalo et al, 2014; Higgins et al, 2010; Regnerus, 2007), in addition to age at first sex, which was described above.…”

Psychosocial Implications of Homophobia and HIV Stigma in Social Support Networks

“…One recent study among young BMSM in Chicago found religiosity and frequent religious attendance to be associated with fewer instances of unprotected anal sex(Garofalo et al, 2014). Based on what they describe as the “historical tension between certain religious doctrine and sexual minorities” (p.9), study authors called for “qualitative data about the experiences of religious practices and beliefs among YMSM” (Garofalo et al, 2014).…”

“…One recent study among young BMSM in Chicago found religiosity and frequent religious attendance to be associated with fewer instances of unprotected anal sex(Garofalo et al, 2014). Based on what they describe as the “historical tension between certain religious doctrine and sexual minorities” (p.9), study authors called for “qualitative data about the experiences of religious practices and beliefs among YMSM” (Garofalo et al, 2014). Other research has described the homophobia and the HIV-related stigma that BMSM face in religious institutions (Balaji et al, 2012; Valera & Taylor, 2011; Wilson, Wittlin, Muñoz-Laboy, & Parker, 2011) and the family (Balaji et al, 2012; Hussen et al, 2014).…”