Correlates of Concurrent Sexual Partnerships Among Young, Rural African American Men.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the social, behavioral, and psychological factors associated with concurrent (i.e., overlapping in time) sexual partnerships among rural African American young men with a primary female partner.


METHODS
We recruited 505 men in rural areas of southern Georgia from January 2012 to August 2013 using respondent-driven sampling; 361 reported having a primary female partner and participating only in heterosexual sexual activity. Men provided data on their demographic characteristics and HIV-related risk behaviors, as well as social, behavioral, and psychological risk factors.


RESULTS
Of the 361 men with a primary female partner, 164 (45.4%) reported concurrent sexual partners during the past three months. Among the 164 men with a concurrent sexual partner, 144 (92.9%) reported inconsistent condom use with their primary partners, and 68 (41.5%) reported using condoms inconsistently with their concurrent partners. Having concurrent sexual partnerships was associated with inconsistent condom use, substance use before sex, and self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Bivariate correlates of concurrent sexual partnerships included incarceration, substance use, early onset of sexual activity, impulsive decision-making, and masculinity attitudes (i.e., men's adherence to culturally defined standards for male behavior). In a multivariate model, both masculinity ideology and impulsive decision-making independently predicted concurrent sexual partnerships independent of other risk factors.


CONCLUSIONS
Masculinity attitudes and impulsive decision-making are independent predictors of concurrent sexual partnerships among rural African American men and, consequently, the spread of HIV and other STIs. Developing programs that target masculinity attitudes and self-regulatory skills may help to reduce concurrent sexual partnerships.
University of Georgia, Department of Human Development and Family Science, Athens, GA.
Steven M
SM
Kogan
University of Georgia, Center for Family Research, Athens, GA.
Junhan
J
Cho
University of Georgia, Center for Family Research, Athens, GA.
Stacey C
SC
Barnum
University of Georgia, Department of Human Development and Family Science, Athens, GA.
Geoffrey L
GL
Brown
D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003657:Decision Making; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057228:Masculinity; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000208:ethnology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult