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Sources of Resilience as Mediators of the Effect of Minority Stress on Stimulant Use and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Young Black Men who have Sex with Men

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Abstract

The greatest proportion of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) is occurring among young Black MSM (YBMSM) ages 13–24. Consequently, research is needed to understand the psychosocial pathways that influence HIV risk and resilience in YBMSM. Minority Stress Theory proposes that the stigma, prejudice, and discrimination facing sexual and racial minorities are chronic stressors that lead to increased engagement in risk behaviors. The present study examined whether minority stress is associated with stimulant use and sexual risk behaviors by depleting psychosocial resilience. We recruited 1817 YBMSM, ages 18–29, from multiple venues in two major cities in Texas for participation in a brief survey. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that decreased resilience partially mediated the association of minority stress with sexual risk behavior. Resilience was also negatively associated with stimulant use. Interventions focused on cultivating psychosocial resilience could mitigate the deleterious consequences of minority stress and reduce stimulant use in YBMSM.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Anne Freeman, Douglas Sheehan, and Stephen Brown from the University of Texas Southwestern; and Jan Risser and Paige Padgett from the University of Texas, Houston.

Funding

These analyses were supported by National Institutes of Health awards R03DA042660 (PI: Storholm), and R01MH096690 (PI: Kegeles). Dr. Storholm was also supported by R03DA043402, and P30MH058107, and Dr. Vincent was also supported by the National Institute of Mental Health K23MH111402.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Office 5227, Santa Monica, CA, 90407, USA

    Erik D. Storholm, Wenjing Huang, Daniel E. Siconolfi & Glenn J. Wagner

  2. Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA

    Lance M. Pollack, Wilson Vincent, Gregory M. Rebchook & Susan M. Kegeles

  3. School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Adam W. Carrico

  4. School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    David M. Huebner

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  1. Erik D. Storholm
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Correspondence to Erik D. Storholm.

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Storholm, E.D., Huang, W., Siconolfi, D.E. et al. Sources of Resilience as Mediators of the Effect of Minority Stress on Stimulant Use and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Young Black Men who have Sex with Men. AIDS Behav 23, 3384–3395 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-019-02572-y

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