Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Apr;37(2):243-63.
doi: 10.1177/1090198109339993. Epub 2009 Jul 2.

In the dark: young men's stories of sexual initiation in the absence of relevant sexual health information

Katrina Kubicek  1 , William J Beyer, George Weiss, Ellen Iverson, Michele D Kipke
Affiliations

In the dark: young men's stories of sexual initiation in the absence of relevant sexual health information

Katrina Kubicek et al. Health Educ Behav. 2010 Apr.

Abstract

A growing body of research has investigated the effectiveness of abstinence-only sexual education. There remains a dearth of research on the relevant sexual health information available to young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Drawing on a mixed-methods study with 526 YMSM, this study explores how and where YMSM receive relevant information on sexual health/behavior. Findings indicate that information related to gay men's sexuality is not readily available from family, friends, or schools. At initiation of anal intercourse, respondents generally had limited information about HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In some cases, this resulted in the perception that activities such as unprotected sex were "low risk." Many mentioned they first learned about anal sex during their sexual debut, describing painful and/or unpleasant experiences. Some relied on older/more experienced partners, the Internet, and pornography for information. Findings are discussed in relation to how providers can help YMSM build solid foundations of sexual education to protect them from STI and HIV infection.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Advocates for Youth. Title V state evaluations: Five years of abstinence-only-until-marriage education: Assessing the impact. 2004. Retrieved August 13, 2008, 2008, from http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/stateevaluations/index.htm.
    1. Bay-Cheng LY. The trouble of teen sex: Construction of adolescent sexuality through school-based sexuality education. Sex Education. 2003;3(1):61–74.
    1. Blake SM, Ledsky R, Lehman T, Goodenow C, Sawyer R, Hack T. Preventing sexual risk behaviors among gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents: The benefits of gay-sensitive HIV instruction in schools. American Journal of Public Health. 2001;91(6):940–946. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Borzekowski DLG, Rickert VI. Adolescent cybersurfing for health information. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2001;155:813–817. - PubMed
    1. Bull SS, McFarlane M, King D. Barriers to STD/HIV prevention on the Internet. Health Education Research. 2001;16(6):661–670. - PubMed