Lifetime Sexual Behaviors Among Predominantly Minority Male Runaways and Gay/Bisexual Adolescents in New York City

• NCJ Number: 138871
• Journal: AIDS Education and Prevention, Supplement Dated: (Fall 1992) Pages: 34-42
• Author(s): M J Rotheram-Borus; H F L Meyer-Bahlburg; M Rosario; C Koopman; C S Haignere; T M Exner; M Matthieu; R Henderson; R S Gruen
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report, presenting the first data on the sexual behavior of predominantly male minority youth, who identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual, was based on interviews conducted in New York City with 59 runaway males in two residential shelters and 60 males attending a community agency (HMI) for gay and bisexual youth. The median age of the sample was 16.3 years.

Abstract

Interviewers administered the Sexual Risk Behavior Assessment Schedule regarding psychosexual milestones. Results showed that 93 percent of the participants had engaged in oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse, with a median of 11 female partners among the runaway males and a median of 7 male partners among the HMI group. The median age of first sexual encounter for both groups was 12.6 years. The groups each reported unique psychosexual milestones. About 29 percent of the runaways and 23 percent of HMI males had exchanged sex for drugs or money. Only about 13 percent of the respondents consistently used condoms. Intervention strategies must address these specific problem areas. Future research should explore factors affecting consistency of condom use, including differences between urban and rural samples and ethnic or racial differences within runaway and bisexual/homosexual youth samples. 2 tables and 18 references