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. 2020 Oct;24(10):2819-2828.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-020-02831-3.

Immigrant Status and Sexual Orientation Disclosure: Implications for HIV/STD Prevention Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Seattle, Washington

Jane J Lee  1 , David A Katz  2 , Sara N Glick  3   4 , Courtney Moreno  4 , Roxanne P Kerani  3   4
Affiliations

Immigrant Status and Sexual Orientation Disclosure: Implications for HIV/STD Prevention Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Seattle, Washington

Jane J Lee et al. AIDS Behav. 2020 Oct.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV and may avoid disclosing their sexual preferences to others. With heightened attention on immigrant status in the United States, foreign-born MSM may be particularly concerned about disclosing their sexual orientation. We sought to examine how immigrant status is associated with sexual orientation disclosure among MSM and to assess the impact of disclosure on HIV/STD prevention outcomes stratified by nativity. We analyzed data from the 2014 and 2017 Seattle-area surveys of MSM from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) system. Foreign-born MSM were less likely than U.S.-born MSM to have disclosed their sexuality to friends who are not gay, lesbian, or bisexual (85.0% vs. 95.5%; p < .001) or to family members (80.5% vs. 91.3%; p < .001). Further, disclosure to one's health care provider significantly increased the likelihood of having tested for HIV in the past 12 months among foreign-born and U.S.-born MSM. Findings highlight the need to better understand the risks and benefits of disclosure among foreign-born MSM. Future research may explore how responses and reactions to disclosure among foreign-born MSM shape pathways to HIV risk and prevention.

Los hombres que tiene sexo con hombres (HSH) son desproporcionadamente afectados por el VIH y pueden evitar revelar sus preferencias sexuales a los demás. Con más atención al estatus de inmigrante en los Estados Unidos, los HSH nacidos extranjeros pueden estar particularmente preocupados por revelar su orientación sexual. Examinamos cómo el estatus inmigrante está asociado con la divulgación de la orientación sexual entre los HSH y evaluamos el impacto de la divulgación en los resultados de la prevención del VIH/SIDA, estratificados por el estatus inmigrante. Analizamos los datos de las encuestas de 2014 y 2017 realizaron en el área de Seattle del sistema de la Vigilancia Nacional del Comportamiento Relacionado con el VIH (National HIV Behavioral Surveillance [NHBS]). Los resultados demostraron que los HSH nacidos extranjeros tenían menos probabilidad que los HSH nacidos en los EE. UU. de divulgar su orientación sexual a los amigos que no son homosexuales, lesbianos, o bisexuales (85.0% vs. 95.5%; p<.001) o a los miembros de la familia (80.5% vs. 91.3%; p<.001). Además, la divulgación a su proveedor de salud aumentó la probabilidad de haber hecho la prueba de VIH en los 12 meses pasados entre los HSH nacidos extranjeros y nacidos en los EE.UU. Los hallazgos destacan la necesidad de obtener una mejor comprensión de los riesgos y los beneficios de la divulgación entre los HSH nacidos extranjeros. Las investigaciones futuras pueden explorar cómo las respuestas y las reacciones a la divulgación entre los HSH nacidos extranjeros determinen las trayectorias al riesgo y la prevención del VIH.

Keywords: HIV/STD prevention; Immigrant status; MSM; Sexual orientation disclosure.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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