Interpersonal violence victimisation, HIV-related behaviours and STIs among adult, urban Indigenous and non-Indigenous gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Guatemala. Issue 11 (1st November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Davis, Dirk A.; Duarte, Gabriell; Villatoro, Daniel; Letona, Paola; Barrington, Clare; Wheeler, Jennifer
• Is Part Of: Culture, health & sexuality. Volume 24:Issue 11(2022)
• Page Start: 1531
• Page End: 1547
• Publication Date: 2022-11-01
• Subjects: MSM -- Maya -- HIV risk -- SGM health; Sex -- Periodicals; Sex -- Cross-cultural studies -- Periodicals; Sex -- Health aspects -- Periodicals; 306.705
• DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2021.1974948
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1369-1058

Abstract

Abstract: Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected by HIV in Guatemala; interpersonal violence may increase behaviours that augment the risk of HIV in this group. Although 44% of Guatemalans identify as Indigenous, little information exists on the experiences of Indigenous sexual minority individuals. In this study, we sought to compare different forms of violence and HIV-related behaviours by Indigenous identity among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men; and determine if associations between violence and HIV-related behaviours differed by Indigenous identity. We used cross-sectional survey data from 716 Spanish-speaking, adult men recruited from urban centres to examine the prevalence of and relationship between different forms of interpersonal violence and HIV-related behaviours using logistic regression analyses, including the moderating effect of Indigenous identity. In general, fewer Indigenous participants reported interpersonal violence victimisation and HIV-related behaviours compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. In weighted multivariable analyses, non-Indigenous participants who reported physical and/or sexual violence were over five times as likely to report transactional sex (OR = 5.17, 95% CI 2.11–12.68, p < 0.001), but the relationship was not significant for Indigenous participants. Findings suggest that Indigenous sexual minority men have unique contexts and that additional strengths-based research is needed to ensure that actions and efforts to promote violence and HIV prevention meet their needs.