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Examining a Syndemics Network Among Young Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men

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Abstract

Background

Although studies consistently find that syndemic indicators are additively associated with increased HIV/STI risk behavior (e.g., condomless anal sex; CAS) among men who have sex with men (MSM), information is lacking about how syndemic indicators are associated with each other. Young Latino MSM are one of the most at-risk groups for acquiring HIV in the U.S. Understanding the associations of syndemic indicators with each other and with CAS may improve understanding of how to enhance sexual and behavioral health in this population.

Method

Network analysis using the graphical LASSO (glasso) algorithm was employed to explore associations between CAS and syndemic indicators among 139 young Latino MSM. Structural and psychosocial syndemic indicators were assessed via self-report. CAS was defined as the number of partners in the past 3 months with whom one engaged in CAS.

Results

Results of the network analysis suggested the variables with the highest centrality were unstable housing, prison history, childhood sexual abuse, and CAS. Specific significant associations included links between CAS and alcohol use (b = 0.40), childhood sexual abuse and unstable housing (b = − 0.75), alcohol use and childhood sexual abuse (b = 0.40), and substance use and intimate partner violence (b = 0.43).

Conclusion

This pattern of interconnectedness demonstrates the potential for network analysis to examine nuanced interrelationships of syndemic indicators. The specific associations in this sample raise the question whether a primary focus of interventions should address the more central syndemic indicators for this population, such as alcohol use and unstable housing, and whether this would, via downstream effects, affect other aspects of behavioral health in this population.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this project came from the Department of Psychology at San Diego State University. Some of the author time was supported by 9K24DA040489 (Safren) and 7K23MH096647 (Blashill). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health or the National Institutes of Health, or any of the other funders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Jasper S. Lee, Steven A. Safren & Sierra A. Bainter

  2. Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C, USA

    Carlos E. Rodríguez-Díaz

  3. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 101, San Diego, CA, 92120, USA

    Keith J. Horvath & Aaron J. Blashill

  4. San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA

    Keith J. Horvath & Aaron J. Blashill

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  1. Jasper S. Lee
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Correspondence to Aaron J. Blashill.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (San Diego State University Institutional Review Board + reference number HS-2017-0006) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Lee, J.S., Safren, S.A., Bainter, S.A. et al. Examining a Syndemics Network Among Young Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men. Int.J. Behav. Med. 27, 39–51 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-019-09831-1

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