Data from a sample (n = 154) of young men who have sex with men (YMSM), aged 13-21, residing in five mid-sized cities in the midwestern United States were used to test the hypothesis that personality variables (impulsive decision making, sensation seeking, anxiety/depression, internalized homophobia) contribute uniquely to the prediction of unprotected anal sex beyond what is accounted for by other high-risk behaviors (i.e., substance use and number of sex partners) and partner status (having a dating partner). Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that number of reported anal sex partners and partner status were positively associated with self-reported frequency of unprotected anal sex. Beyond these factors, impulsive decision making significantly contributed to the predictive model. These findings indicate that designing effective prevention programming for YMSM should take into consideration relationship status and the impulsiveness of sexual decision making among members of the target group.

Given the unique impediments for bisexual students, college health professionals should consider specifically addressing needs for bisexual students, bisexual women in particular.

Theoretical constructs and meanings of relational commitment for same-sex couples have typically been generalized from heterosexual relationships. Same-sex couples, however, face a unique set of challenges in constructing committed relationships. To expand our knowledge of the meaning of commitment, same-sex couples described their lived experiences in defining and creating a committed relationship. Transcripts of the conversations of 14 same-sex couples (7 male and 7 female couples) were subjected to analysis using the Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) method (Hill, Thompson, and Williams, 1997). Seven domains emerged, revealing that these same-sex couples constructed the meaning of commitment through comparisons, costs, intra-couple differences, investments, personal and relationship values and ideals, rewards, and sexual boundaries. Unique aspects of commitment are discussed as well as the implications of these findings for future research and service delivery.

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