Familism and Sexual Regulation Among Bisexual Latino Men

Abstract

As the AIDS epidemic continues to disproportionately affect the Latino and African American communities in the United States, little is still known about bisexual behavior and sexual risk of Latino and African American men. This article explores the construct of familism (i.e., the cultural value that weighs on the interdependence among nuclear and extended family members for support, emotional connectedness, familial honor, loyalty, and solidarity) as an analytical point of departure from which to conceptualize sexual risk for bisexual Latino men. Data collection methods involved detailed sexual histories of 18 bisexually-active Latino men in the metropolitan New York City area. The results of this study indicate that familism, as defined by familial support, emotional interconnectedness, and familial honor, shapes the sexual decisions of bisexual teenage and adult Latino men.

Familial and Cultural Influences on Sexual Risk Behaviors among Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Dominican Youth

“…Research has suggested that familismo influences both attitudinal and behavioral norms (Rodriguez & Kosloski, 1998;Sabogal et al, 1987). For example, the embracement of familismo has been associated with sexual decisionmaking among adult Latino men (Muñoz-Laboy, 2008). Specifically, Muñoz-Laboy (2008) found that bisexual Latino males reported that being close to their family and caring about their family's opinions influenced their decisionmaking when selecting sexual and romantic partners.…”

“…For example, the embracement of familismo has been associated with sexual decisionmaking among adult Latino men (Muñoz-Laboy, 2008). Specifically, Muñoz-Laboy (2008) found that bisexual Latino males reported that being close to their family and caring about their family's opinions influenced their decisionmaking when selecting sexual and romantic partners. In addition, Flores, Eyre, and Millstein (1998) found that Latino youth who embraced the concept of familismo were more likely to prefer romantic partners who valued family and having children.…”

Understanding the Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Men�s Risk Behavior: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study (Preprint)

“…Black and Latino MSM and MSMW may be under additional pressure to deny unwanted CSE as abusive or to appraise abusive experiences as consensual, including those with female perpetrators, since Black and Latino cultures stress the most traditional forms of masculinity [29,32,40,41]. Indeed, these cultural forces may also pressure Black and Latino men to conceal same-sex behavior [29,[42][43][44][45] and to not identify as gay or homosexual [29,[46][47][48]. For these men, CSE with an older male and/or same-sex behavior may be sources of shame and social isolation [44,46,47,[49][50][51].…”

“…Indeed, these cultural forces may also pressure Black and Latino men to conceal same-sex behavior [29,[42][43][44][45] and to not identify as gay or homosexual [29,[46][47][48]. For these men, CSE with an older male and/or same-sex behavior may be sources of shame and social isolation [44,46,47,[49][50][51]. Further, research suggests that men with histories of sexual abuse are less comfortable with their same-sex attraction than men without such histories [13] and several studies have found that some Black and Latino men who were sexually abused as children experience sexual identity confusion [41,52] or establish a link between their abusive experiences and current same-sex desire [32,50,52].…”

Gender Differences in the Influence of Protective Factors, Risk Factors, and Health Risk Behaviors on HIV Risk Behaviors Among Youth in South Florida

“…Three important factors are the role of familismo, acculturation, and religion. Familismo is a one traditional Hispanic value that emphasizes reliance and interdependence on family and community and is believed to be the most important influence in the lives of Latino youth (Contreras, Mangelsdorf, Rhodes, Diener, & Brunson, 1999), even in the context of sexual decision-making (Flores, Tschann, & Marín, 2002;Muñoz-Laboy, 2008).…”