Asian Young Men’s Study

Research Overview

The ultimate goal of this study is to inform the development of new HIV prevention interventions that are age appropriate and culturally relevant for young Asian men who have sex with men. Despite the large number of Asian Americans in Los Angeles, when it comes to HIV research, the voices of young Asian men have been mostly silent and unrepresented. As a result, little is known about how HIV impacts young men in this community. There is a need for a deeper understanding of the unique experiences of young Asian men who have sex with men, in order to create programs and provide services that appropriately address their needs.

Download Study Brochure Insight into the Lives of Young Asian Men: Sexual Health, Drug Use, and Family Dynamics

Specific Aims

The specific aims of this study are to:

• Characterize the concerns, fears, and perceived barriers to participation in HIV-related research
• Explore the nature and composition of young Asian men’s social and sexual networks
• Understand HIV-risk and HIV-protective behaviors within the context of particular social and sexual networks
• Better understand the role that ethnicity and culture – cultural and familial norms, values, and expectations – play with respect to alcohol and other drug use, same-sex sexual encounters and relationships, sexual orientation, and involvement in HIV-risk and HIV-protective behaviors

Methods

A total of 84 18-24 year old Asian YMSM were recruited from gay-identified venues over a 5-month period. Respondents completed computer-assisted surveys and in-depth one-on-one qualitative interviews covering a variety of topics including: demographic information, STD/HIV testing and history, social networks, sexual behavior, family dynamics, drug use information, and sexual identity, attraction and disclosure.

Results

Results from 23 qualitative interviews looking at family dynamics:

While prior research has documented the HIV risk behaviors of Asian young men who have sex with men, little is known about other aspects of their lives such as family and community. Understanding the contexts of young men’s lives is imperative for designing culturally and developmentally appropriate HIV interventions. Therefore, a component of this study investigated the family dynamics of Asian young men who have sex with men to explore the role family plays in these young men’s lives and how that may be related to HIV risk behaviors. Findings suggest that familial expectations (particularly in regard to marriage, children, and career) create stress, difficulties with disclosing sexual identity, and fear of failure among these young men. Data also show that conversations with parents are limited to “business-like” topics; other topics such as emotions, relationships, dating, sex, and sexual health are typically avoided. Traditional family-based interventions may not be appropriate for these young men, given these family-related obstacles and barriers to communication. However, interventions that improve parent-child communication and ameliorate family stigma around sex and sexuality, as well as peer-based interventions, may be beneficial.

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (RO1 DA015638) and the California HIV/AIDS Research Program (ID07-CHLA-108). We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the CHOIR staff members who contributed to the collection, management, analysis and review of this data; as well as the members of the community advisory board for their insightful and practical commentary. We are especially grateful to the young men who participated in this study for their commitment and willingness to share their diverse and often profound personal experiences.

The Asian Young Men’s Study Community Advisory Board