Residential Status as a Risk Factor for Drug Use and HIV Risk Among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men

Abstract

There is growing behavioral and epidemiological evidence to suggest that young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are at high risk for becoming HIV-infected. Unfortunately, relatively little research has been conducted to examine the range of individual, social, and community-level factors that put these young men at increased risk. To address existing gaps in the literature, the Healthy Young Men’s (HYM) Study was launched in Los Angeles to examine the range of factors associated with HIV risk and protective behaviors within an ethnically diverse sample of 526 YMSM recruited using a venue-based stratified probability sampling design. In this paper we present findings that demonstrate that YMSM who experience residential instability, who have been forced to leave their home because of their sexuality, and/or who are precariously housed are at significantly greater risk for drug use and involvement in HIV risk-related behaviors.