Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Population-Specific Correlates of Sexual Arrangements and Communication in a National Sample of Latinx Sexual Minority Men

  • Special Section: Consensual Non-Monogamy
  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

While the literature on sexual arrangements has expanded considerably, less is known about sexual arrangements among ethnically diverse populations, particularly Latinx sexual minority men (LSMM). Relationship research may overlook culturally salient correlates (e.g., ideals of masculinity or immigration-related factors) of sexual arrangements. The current study explored relationship-related factors (i.e., sexual arrangements, sexual communication, and relationship functioning) as well as Latino-specific factors, including dominant cultural views of masculinity (machismo/caballerismo) and immigration among partnered LSMM. Participants were recruited nationwide through social media and geo-location dating apps. All participants were aged 18 or older, cisgender male, lived in the U.S., including Puerto Rico, were able to read in either English or Spanish, and indicated they were currently in a relationship with a cismale partner. Multinomial regression was used to calculate the odds of being in an open or monogamish arrangement relative to a monogamous arrangement. Multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to examine factors related to sexual communication. Language spoken with partner, adherence to more general heteronormative beliefs (genderism), and substance use were associated with specific sexual arrangement groups. The findings also suggested that birthplace, language spoken with partner variables, and machismo were associated with specific sexual arrangements and with sexual communication. This study highlights that factors associated with sexual arrangements and sexual communication may be population specific. The current study points to a complex interplay between culturally relevant ideals of masculinity and sexual arrangements as well as sexual communication among partnered Latinx sexual minority men.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arciniega, G. M., Anderson, T. C., Tovar-Blank, Z. G., & Tracey, T. J. G. (2008). Toward a fuller conception of Machismo: Development of a traditional Machismo and Caballerismo Scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.55.1.19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beougher, S. C., Gómez, W., & Hoff, C. C. (2011). The couple as context: Latino gay male couples and HIV. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 13(3), 299–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohn, M. J., Babor, T. F., & Kranzler, H. R. (1995). The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): Validation of a screening instrument for use in medical settings. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 56(4), 423–432. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsa.1995.56.423

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bourne, A., & Weatherburn, P. (2017). Substance use among men who have sex with men: Patterns, motivations, impacts and intervention development need. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 93(5), 342–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruce, D., Ramirez-Valles, J., & Campbell, R. T. (2008). Stigmatization, substance use, and sexual risk behavior among Latino gay and bisexual men and transgender persons. Journal of Drug Issues, 38(1), 235–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busby, D. M., Christensen, C., Crane, D. R., & Larson, J. H. (1995). A revision of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale for use with destressed and nondistressed couples: Construct hierarchy and multidimensional scales. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 21(3), 289–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catania, J. A. (1998). Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale. In T. D. Fisher, C. M. Davis, W. L. Yarber, & S. L. Davis (Eds.), Handbook of sexuality-related measures (3rd ed., pp. 129–130). Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). HIV surveillance report. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/hiv-surveillance.html.

  • Cianelli, R., Ferrer, L., & McElmurry, B. J. (2008). HIV prevention and low-income Chilean women: Machismo, marianismo and HIV misconceptions. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 10(3), 297–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Santis, J. P., Gonzalez-Guarda, R., Provencio-Vasquez, E., & Deleon, D. A. (2014). The Tangled Branches (Las Ramas Enredadas): Sexual risk, substance abuse, and intimate partner violence among Hispanic men who have sex with men. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 25(1), 23–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dellucci, T. V., Carmichael, C., & Starks, T. J. (2020). Arrangements versus agreements: Evaluating two approaches to measuring male couples’ rules and understandings around sex with outside sex partners. Archives of Sexual Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-01621-w

  • Díaz, R. M. (1999). Latino gay men and HIV: Culture, sexuality, and risk behavior. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 5(3), 292–293. https://doi.org/10.1037/1099-9809.5.3.292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Downing, M. J., Benoit, E., Brown, D., Coe, L., Hirshfield, S., Pansulla, L., & Carballo-Diéguez, A. (2020). Early sexual experiences, mental health, and risk behavior among Black non-Hispanic and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 29(1), 41–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Estrada, F., Rigali-Oiler, M., Arciniega, G. M., & Tracey, T. J. G. (2011). Machismo and Mexican American men: An empirical understanding using a gay sample. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(3), 358–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feinstein, B. A., Dellucci, T. V., Sullivan, P. S., & Mustanski, B. M. (2018). Characterizing sexual agreements with one’s most recent sexual partner among young men who have sex with men. AIDS Education and Prevention, 30(4), 335–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feinstein, B. A., & Newcomb, M. E. (2016). The role of substance use motives in the associations between minority stressors and substance use problems among young men who have sex with men. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 3(3), 357–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Félix-Ortiz, M., Abreu, J. M., Briano, M., & Bowen, D. (2001). A critique of machismo measures in psychological research. In F. Columbus (Ed.), Advances in psychology research (Vol. 3, pp. 63–90). Nova Science Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrer, L., Cianelli, R., Villegas, N., Reed, R., Bernales, M., Repetto, P., & Peragallo-Montano, N. (2016). Exploring the masculine identity in the context of HIV prevention in Chile. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 48(2), 128–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gass, K., Hoff, C. C., Stephenson, R., & Sullivan, P. S. (2012). Sexual agreements in the partnerships of Internet-using men who have sex with men. AIDS Care, 24(10), 1255–1263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, D. B., & Willoughby, B. L. B. (2005). The development and validation of the Genderism and Transphobia Scale. Sex Roles, 53(7–8), 531–544.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoff, C. C., & Beougher, S. C. (2010). Sexual agreements among gay male couples. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(3), 774–787. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9393-2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoff, C. C., Beougher, S. C., Chakravarty, D., Darbes, L. A., & Neilands, T. B. (2010). Relationship characteristics and motivations behind agreements among gay male couples: Differences by agreement type and couple serostatus. AIDS Care, 22(7), 827–835. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540120903443384

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hoff, C. C., Campbell, C. K., Chakravarty, D., & Darbes, L. A. (2016). Relationship-based predictors of sexual risk for HIV among MSM couples: A systematic review of the literature. AIDS and Behavior, 20(12), 2873–2892.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jarama, S. L., Kennamer, J. D., Poppen, P. J., Hendricks, M., & Bradford, J. (2005). Psychosocial, behavioral, and cultural predictors of sexual risk for HIV infection among Latino men who have sex with men. AIDS and Behavior, 9(4), 513–523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaspal, R. (2017). Gay men’s construction and management of identity on Grindr. Sexuality & Culture, 21(1), 187–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaSala, M. C. (2004). Extradyadic sex and gay male couples: Comparing monogamous and nonmonogamous relationships. Families in Society, 85(3), 405–412. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.1502

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaSala, M. C. (2005). Monogamy of the heart: Extradyadic sex and gay male couples. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 17(3), 1–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, M. A., Gladstone, E., Schmal, S., & Darbes, L. A. (2006). Health-related social control and relationship interdependence among gay couples. Health Education Research, 21(4), 488–500. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyh075

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li, M. J., Okafor, C. N., Gorbach, P. M., & Shoptaw, S. (2018). Intersecting burdens: Homophobic victimization, unstable housing, and methamphetamine use in a cohort of men of color who have sex with men. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 192, 179–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lo, S. C., Reisen, C. A., Poppen, P. J., Bianchi, F. T., & Zea, M. C. (2011). Cultural beliefs, partner characteristics, communication, and sexual risk among Latino MSM. AIDS and Behavior, 15(3), 613–620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loza, O., Curiel, Z. V., Beltran, O., & Ramos, R. (2020). Methamphetamine use and sexual risk behaviors among men who have sex with men in a Mexico-US border city. American Journal on Addictions, 29(2), 111–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malone, J., Syvertsen, J. L., Johnson, B. E., Mimiaga, M. J., Mayer, K. H., & Bazzi, A. R. (2018). Negotiating sexual safety in the era of biomedical HIV prevention: Relationship dynamics among male couples using pre-exposure prophylaxis. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 20(6), 658–672. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2017.1368711

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marín, B. V. (2003). HIV prevention in the Hispanic community: Sex, culture, and empowerment. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 14(3), 186–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinez, O., Munoz-Laboy, M., Levine, E. C., Starks, T. J., Dolezal, C., Dodge, B., & Fernandez, M. I. (2017a). Relationship factors associated with sexual risk behavior and high-risk alcohol consumption among Latino men who have sex with men: Challenges and opportunities to intervene on HIV risk. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(4), 987–999. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0835-y

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martinez, O., Wu, E., Frasca, T., Shultz, A. Z., Fernandez, M. I., López Rios, J., & Sandfort, T. G. M. (2017b). Adaptation of a couple-based HIV/STI prevention intervention for Latino men who have sex with men in New York City. American Journal of Men’s Health, 11(2), 181–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988315579195

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mirandé, A. (2018). Hombres y machos: Masculinity and Latino culture. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, J. W. (2014). Aspects of gay male couples’ sexual agreements vary by their relationship length. AIDS Care, 26(9), 1164–1170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, J. W., Boyd, C., McCabe, S., & Stephenson, R. (2014). A cause for concern: Male couples’ sexual agreements and their use of substances with sex. AIDS and Behavior, 18(7), 1401–1411. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-014-0736-9

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, J. W., Harvey, S. M., Champeau, D., Moskowitz, D. A., & Seal, D. W. (2012). Relationship factors associated with gay male couples’ concordance on aspects of their sexual agreements: Establishment, type, and adherence. AIDS and Behavior, 16(6), 1560–1569. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-011-0064-2

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Neff, J. A. (2001). A confirmatory factor analysis of a measure of “machismo” among Anglo, African American, and Mexican American male drinkers. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 23(2), 171–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ojeda, L., & Piña-Watson, B. (2014). Caballerismo may protect against the role of machismo on Mexican day laborers’ self-esteem. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 15(3), 288–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, J. T., Starks, T. J., Dubois, S., Grov, C., & Golub, S. A. (2013). Alternatives to monogamy among gay male couples in a community survey: Implications for mental health and sexual risk. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42(2), 303–312. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-011-9885-3

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paul, J. P., Boylan, R., Gregorich, S., Ayala, G., & Choi, K. H. (2014). Substance use and experienced stigmatization among ethnic minority men who have sex with men in the United States. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 13(4), 430–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poppen, P. J., Reisen, C. A., Zea, M. C., Bianchi, F. T., & Echeverry, J. J. (2004). Predictors of unprotected anal intercourse among HIV-positive latino gay and bisexual men. AIDS and Behavior, 8(4), 379–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramirez-Valles, J., Garcia, D., Campbell, R. T., Diaz, R. M., & Heckathorn, D. D. (2008). HIV infection, sexual risk behavior, and substance use among Latino gay and bisexual men and transgender persons. American Journal of Public Health, 98(6), 1036–1042. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2006.102624

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Redlick, M. (2017). The perceived threat of sexual communication, number of previous sexual partners and topic avoidance in romantic relationships. Psychology & Sexuality, 8(1–2), 148–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, S. D., & McCoy, T. P. (2015). Condom use among immigrant Latino sexual minorities: Multilevel analysis after respondent-driven sampling. AIDS Education and Prevention, 27(1), 27–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, S. D., McCoy, T. P., Hergenrather, K. C., Vissman, A. T., Wolfson, M., Alonzo, J., & Eng, E. (2012). Prevalence estimates of health risk behaviors of immigrant Latino men who have sex with men. Journal of Rural Health, 28(1), 73–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rios-Spicer, R., Darbes, L., Hoff, C., Sullivan, P. S., & Stephenson, R. (2019). Sexual agreements: A scoping review of measurement, prevalence and links to health outcomes. AIDS and Behavior, 23(1), 259–271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2212-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rivera, D. B., Brady, J. P., & Blashill, A. J. (2021). Traditional machismo, caballerismo, and the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Cascade among a sample of Latino sexual minority men. Journal of Sex Research, 58, 21–28.

  • Robles, G., Bosco, S. C., Dellucci, T. V., & Starks, T. J. (2020). Integrating intra-individual and dyadic factors in examining health among gay and bisexual men: A narrative review of recent literature. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 16, 488–513.

  • Robles, G., Dellucci, T. V., Stratton, M. J., & Starks, T. J. (2019). The utility of index case recruitment for establishing couples’ eligibility: An examination of consistency in reporting the drug use of a primary partner among sexual minority male couples. Couple and Family Psychology, 8, 221–232.

  • Shaver, J., Freeland, R., Goldenberg, T., & Stephenson, R. (2018). Gay and bisexual men’s perceptions of HIV risk in various relationships. American Journal of Men’s Health, 12(4), 655–665. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988317745759

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, H. A. (1982). The Drug Abuse Screening Test. Addictive Behaviors, 7(4), 363–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Starks, T. J., Gamarel, K. E., & Johnson, M. O. (2014). Relationship characteristics and HIV transmission risk in same-sex male couples in HIV serodiscordant relationships. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 43(1), 139–147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0216-8

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Starks, T. J., & Parsons, J. T. (2014). Adult attachment among partnered gay men: Patterns and associations with sexual relationship quality. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 43(1), 107–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0224-8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Starks, T. J., Robles, G., Bosco, S. C., Dellucci, T. V., Grov, C., & Parsons, J. T. (2019). The prevalence and correlates of sexual arrangements in a national cohort of HIV-negative gay and bisexual men in the United States. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(1), 369–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson, R., White, D., & Mitchell, J. W. (2015). Sexual agreements and perception of HIV prevalence among an online sample of partnered men who have sex with men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44(7), 1813–1819. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0532-2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Torres, J. B., Solberg, V. S. H., & Carlstrom, A. H. (2002). The myth of sameness among Latino men and their machismo. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 72(2), 163–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wheldon, C. W., & Pathak, E. B. (2010). Masculinity and relationship agreements among male same-sex couples. Journal of Sex Research, 47(5), 460–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, D., Grey, J. A., Gorbach, P. M., Rothenberg, R. B., Sullivan, P. S., & Rosenberg, E. S. (2017). Racial differences in partnership attributes, typologies, and risk behaviors among men who have sex with men in Atlanta, Georgia. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(4), 961–975.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitton, S. W., Dyar, C., Newcomb, M. E., & Mustanski, B. (2018). Effects of romantic involvement on substance use among young sexual and gender minorities. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 191, 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.06.037

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Whitton, S. W., Weitbrecht, E. M., & Kuryluk, A. D. (2015). Monogamy agreements in male same-sex couples: Associations With relationship quality and individual well-being. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 14(1), 39–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332691.2014.953649

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, P. A., Díaz, R. M., Yoshikawa, H., & Shrout, P. E. (2009). Drug use, interpersonal attraction, and communication: Situational factors as predictors of episodes of unprotected anal intercourse among Latino gay men. AIDS and Behavior, 13(4), 691–699.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zea, M. C., Reisen, C. A., Poppen, P. J., & Bianchi, F. T. (2009). Unprotected anal intercourse among immigrant Latino MSM: The role of characteristics of the person and the sexual encounter. AIDS and Behavior, 13(4), 700–715.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zea, M. C., Reisen, C. A., Poppen, P. J., Bianchi, F. T., & Echeverry, J. J. (2005). Disclosure of HIV status and psychological well-being among Latino gay and bisexual men. AIDS and Behavior, 9(1), 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-005-1678-z

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zea, M. C., Reisen, C. A., Poppen, P. J., & Díaz, R. M. (2003). Asking and telling: Communication about HIV status among Latino HIV-positive gay men. AIDS and Behavior, 7(2), 143–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This study was funded by a Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (R01DA045613-01S).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Rutgers University, 390 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Gabriel Robles

  2. Doctoral Program in Health Psychology and Clinical Science, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Stephen C. Bosco & Tyrel J. Starks

  3. Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College of Columbia University, New York, New York, NY, USA

    Daniel Sauermilch

  4. Department of Psychology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Tyrel J. Starks

Authors
  1. Gabriel Robles
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stephen C. Bosco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Daniel Sauermilch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tyrel J. Starks
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gabriel Robles.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Research involving.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the City University of New York University Integrated Institutional Review Board (Human Research Protection Program 2018-1094) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Robles, G., Bosco, S.C., Sauermilch, D. et al. Population-Specific Correlates of Sexual Arrangements and Communication in a National Sample of Latinx Sexual Minority Men. Arch Sex Behav 50, 1449–1460 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02009-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02009-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation