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Sexual Behavior Varies Between Same-Race and Different-Race Partnerships: A Daily Diary Study of Highly Sexually Active Black, Latino, and White Gay and Bisexual Men

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Abstract

Racial homophily (partnering with those of the same race) has been suggested as contributing to racial disparities in HIV among gay and bisexual men (GBM). Using a daily diary study, we examined racial homophily and its role in anal sexual behaviors in a sample of highly sexually active Black, White, and Latino GBM (N = 294, n = 3107 sexual events). In general, (1) men tended to partner with others of the same race, (2) HIV was more prevalent among men of color, and (3) race acted independent of whether one would engage in behaviors that would put them at highest risk for transmitting HIV (i.e., no main or interaction effects for insertive condomless anal sex (CAS) among HIV-positive men, and no main or interaction effects for receptive CAS among HIV-negative men). There were some main and interactive effects observed for lower risk behaviors (receptive CAS among HIV-positive men and insertive CAS among HIV-negative). Our findings suggest that racial disparities in HIV may be due to a higher exposure frequency (i.e., the frequency with which one comes into contact with a partner where a transmission could occur). However, men were also less likely to have anal sex when having sex with someone of the same race—a finding that works against the premise of higher exposure frequency. Future researchers should examine both racial homophily as well as variation in sexual behavior based on same-race or different-race partnerships.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by a research grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01-MH087714; Jeffrey T. Parsons, Principal Investigator). H. Jonathon Rendina was supported in part by a career development award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K01-DA039030). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of other members of the Pillow Talk Research Team, particularly Demetria Cain, Ruben Jimenez, Brian Mustanski, John Pachankis, and Sitaji Gurung. We would also like to thank CHEST staff who played important roles in the implementation of the project: Chris Hietikko, Chloe Mirzayi, Anita Viswanath, and Thomas Whitfield, as well as our team of research assistants, recruiters, and interns. Finally, we thank Chris Ryan, Daniel Nardicio, and Stephan Adelson and the participants who volunteered their time for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training (CHEST), New York, NY, USA

    Christian Grov, H. Jonathon Rendina, Ana Ventuneac & Jeffrey T. Parsons

  2. Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (CUNY), Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Christian Grov

  3. CUNY School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA

    Christian Grov & Jeffrey T. Parsons

  4. Department of Psychology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Ave., New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Jeffrey T. Parsons

  5. Health Psychology and Clinical Science Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center of CUNY, New York, NY, USA

    Jeffrey T. Parsons

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  1. Christian Grov
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  2. H. Jonathon Rendina
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  4. Jeffrey T. Parsons
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Correspondence to Jeffrey T. Parsons.

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Grov, C., Rendina, H.J., Ventuneac, A. et al. Sexual Behavior Varies Between Same-Race and Different-Race Partnerships: A Daily Diary Study of Highly Sexually Active Black, Latino, and White Gay and Bisexual Men. Arch Sex Behav 45, 1453–1462 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0677-z

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