HIV-Related Risk Behavior Among Hispanic Immigrant Men in a Population-Based Household Survey in Low-Income Neighborhoods of Northern California

Abstract

Recent Hispanic immigrants have less stable sexual partnerships and less health-seeking behavior, including HIV testing. Established immigrants report HIV test rates comparable to the national average.

Patterns and Predictors of HIV/STI Risk Among Latino Migrant Men in a New Receiving Community

“…Despite these statistics, the majority of studies of Latino men have been conducted on men who have sex with men (MSM) [15], thus it is important to investigate prevalence rates among heterosexual Latinos as well. And while few prevalence studies have been conducted among Latino migrant men [14], the few studies that have done biological testing found low prevalence rates despite high rates of HIV/STI risk behavior [17][18][19].…”

Influence of Religious Coping on the Substance Use and HIV Risk Behaviors of Recent Latino Immigrants

“…Investigations into the underlying risk factors responsible for the spread of HIV/AIDS among Latino immigrant have attributed their increased rates of infection to sexual and substance use practices. These behaviors are often mediated by level of acculturation to U.S. society (Hines & Caetano, 1998;Levy, et al, 2005). For example, as Latinas become more acculturated to American society, their substance use patterns and levels of sexual promiscuity tend to increase (Nyamathi, Bennet, Leake, Lewis, & Flaskerud, 1993).…”

Living Positive: Life in Community Among Puerto Rican Men Living with HIV in Boston

“…Although valued by both men and women as a caring and strong characteristic, machismo also has disempowering and negative properties (Marin 2003;Sears 2008) which can significantly impact the spread of HIV. As a risk factor, machismo is often associated with the risky sexual behaviors Latino men engage in to prove their manhood and reinforce masculinity, including having multiple partners (Marin 2003;Levy et al 2005), casual sexual relationships (Pleck et al 1993), and engaging in unprotected sex (Diaz 1998;Galanti 2003;Marin 2003;Jarama et al 2005). In addition, the male pride exercised through machismo authority limits women's ability to negotiate the use of a condom and question when partners suggest the use of one.…”

“…Because of strong pressures to conform to this cultural norm, many gay/bisexual Latino men choose to hide their sexual orientation, resulting in increased risky behaviors contributing to the spread of HIV (Diaz 1997;Dolezal et al 2000;Marin 2003;Diaz et al 2004;Levy et al 2005).…”

“…Consequently, this stigma contributes to the separation of gay/bisexual Latinos from their family and the reduction of family support (Marin and Gomez 1998). Given strong social pressure to conform to their cultural norms, many gay/bisexual Latino men choose to hide their sexual orientation, resulting in increased risky behaviors that contribute to the spread of HIV (Marin 2003;Diaz et al 2004;Levy et al 2005). In fact, many often avoid disclosing their seropositive status to family members because of fear of rejection (Zea et al 2004).…”