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Sexual Agreement Discussions Among Adolescent Sexual Minority Men in the USA.

Authors :
Washington, Catherine
Gamarel, Kristi E.
Darbes, Lynae A.
Hightow-Weidman, Lisa B.
Sullivan, Patrick
Stephenson, Rob
Source :
Archives of Sexual Behavior; Aug2024, Vol. 53 Issue 8, p3129-3138, 10p
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Nearly two-thirds of new HIV infections are attributed to primary partners, necessitating a greater understanding of relationship context of HIV transmission among sexual minority men. Sexual agreements, which are the explicit decisions couples make about sexual behaviors allowed inside and outside of their relationship, have been primarily studied among adult sexual minority men. Little work has sought to understand how adolescent sexual minority men utilize and navigate sexual agreement conversations. In this qualitative study, we explored adolescent sexual minority men's motivations for having these conversations, how they define different types of agreements (e.g., monogamous, non-monogamous), and the topics most commonly discussed in their conversations. We conducted thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 30 partnered, HIV-negative, adolescent sexual minority men ages 15–19 years. Participants reported similar reasons, definitions, and desires for creating sexual agreements as those reported in the adult literature. Novel to this population was the influence of stigma and heterosexism on the participants' choice of sexual agreement type. Like adult sexual minority men, participants used sexual agreement conversations to respond to life events; however, the adolescents in our sample, when talking with their partners, led with the context of developmentally specific events such as leaving for college or attending a school dance. Those with more relationship experience often described having intentional, explicit sexual agreement conversations. Study findings suggest that content focused on sexual agreements is important for HIV prevention interventions designed with adolescent sexual minority men, especially young men who have less relationship experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00040002
Volume :
53
Issue :
8
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
179142782
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-02915-4