title: Sexual risk behaviors and steroid use among sexual minority adolescent boys.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous research has extensively examined the relationship between the use of alcohol and illicit substances with sexual risk behaviors among sexual minority (i.e., gay and bisexual) male youth; however, no known studies have assessed the association of steroid use to risk behaviors among this population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 556 sexually active sexual minority adolescent boys (M age=16.2, SD=1.3), taken from a pooled dataset of the 14 jurisdictions from the 2005 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys that assessed sexual orientation. The association between lifetime use of steroids and sexual risk behaviors were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Controlling for number of sexual partners, depression, victimization, and race, boys who reported increased steroid use were at increased odds of engaging in condomless sex, OR=1.55, p=.003, and use of alcohol/drugs during sex, OR=1.48, p=.002.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Steroid use among sexual minority adolescent boys is prevalent and associated with HIV/STI sexual transmission risk behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, United States. Electronic address: aaron.blashill@sdsu.edu.
authors.forename: Aaron J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Blashill
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, United States. Electronic address: ssafren@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Safren
authors.affiliation: The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, United States. Electronic address: jjampel@fenwayhealth.org.
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Jampel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012651:Self Medication / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013256:Steroids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D013256:Steroids
keywords: Adolescent boys; Sexual orientation; Sexual risk; Steroids; Substance use