This mixed methods study used an explanatory sequential design to examine
the relationship between attachment and sexual behavior among young Black gay
and bisexual men (YBGBM). Cross sectional online surveys and sex diaries were
completed by a sample of YBGBM in New York City (n = 153) to
assess the association between adult attachment insecurity and sexual risk
behavior. The Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Revised (ECR-R) was used
to assess three types of adult attachment (i.e., secure, anxious, and avoidant).
Participants reported condomless sex encounters, as well as serodiscordant
condomless anal sex encounters, as measures of sexual risk. Quantitative
findings suggested that there were few associations between attachment type and
sexual risk behavior; only men with attachment avoidance were likely to engage
in condomless sex. However, qualitative findings illuminated some of the social
complexities of the association between attachment in childhood, attachment in
young adulthood and intimate partnerships, which could be linked to young adult
sexual risk behavior. The study findings highlight the need for researchers to
further examine the process by which individual differences in attachment
orientation are related to YBGBM’s sexual behavior.