Contextual influences on Latino men's sexual and substance use behaviors following immigration to the Midwestern United States. Ethn Health 2021 Aug;26(6):827-844
Date
12/29/2018Pubmed ID
30592225Pubmed Central ID
PMC6599544DOI
10.1080/13557858.2018.1562051Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85059301868 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 1 CitationAbstract
Objectives: Latinos in the United States experience a disproportionate number of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and higher use of alcohol and illegal drugs, which has been attributed to increases in risk behaviors following immigration. Whereas substantial research documents these behavioral changes, little is known about how immigrants increase their risk or why some immigrants increase their risk and other immigrants do not. This study explored how the social and normative context affects sexual and substance use behaviors among Latino immigrant men in a midsized Midwestern city of the United States.Methods: We interviewed 64 Latino immigrant men recruited from community sites in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (mean age = 32.6 years). Participants reported the social and normative contexts preceding and following immigration, including social networks and support, perceptions of the law, and familiar and peer normative influences.Results: Immigrants attributed changes in their sexual and substance use behaviors to their immigration goals, social support, peer and familial normative influences, and restrictions related to their immigrant status. Immigration for economic and personal advancement was generally protective from behaviors that would interfere with those goals as were extended familial networks that could provide support, resources, and normative control. The need to stay under the radar of authorities, the proportion of Latinos in the community, the social and normative changes associated with immigrants' age, and the higher perceptions of risk for HIV in the United States compared with their home countries also influenced immigrants' sexual and substance use behaviors.Conclusions: Changes in risk behavior after immigration to the United States reflect a combination of social and normative factors and personal goals. Interventions and policies aiming to prevent HIV and substance use among Latino immigrants should understand the contextual conditions that decrease or increase their risk behaviors in the United States.
Author List
Glasman LR, Dickson-Gomez J, Corbett AM, Rosado NA, Galletly CL, Salazar JAuthors
Julia Dickson-Gomez PhD Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of WisconsinCarol L. Galletly JD, PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Laura R. Glasman PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultEmigrants and Immigrants
Emigration and Immigration
Humans
Male
Risk-Taking
Sexual Behavior
Substance-Related Disorders
United States
