IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2022i1p588-d1019193.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Dimensions of Sexual Health Conversations among U.S. Black Heterosexual Couples

Author

Listed:
  • Natalie M. Leblanc

    (School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA)

  • Noelle M. St. Vil

    (School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14215, USA)

  • Keosha T. Bond

    (School of Medicine, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA)

  • Jason W. Mitchell

    (Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA)

  • Adrian C. Juarez

    (School of Nursing, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77550, USA)

  • Faith Lambert

    (School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA)

  • Sadandaula R. Muheriwa

    (School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA)

  • James McMahon

    (School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA)

Abstract

Sexual health communication is an important feature of healthy intimate relationships; however, some couples may avoid discussing difficult matters (e.g., HIV/STI testing, sexual satisfaction) to minimize interpersonal conflict. From October 2018 to May 2019 in New York State, we conducted a multi-method descriptive pilot study to characterize Black heterosexual couples’ (N = 28) sexual health conversations. Partners individually completed an online sexual health/relationship survey before engaging in-person for a joint dyadic qualitative in-depth interview. Quantitative descriptive statistics demonstrated that most absolute score differences among couple’s preferences for sexual health outcomes, communal coping and sexual relationship power were mainly small, but greatest regarding extra-dyadic sexual behaviors. A qualitative descriptive approach discerned, motivation and norms for sexual health conversations, and communication patterns. Thematic and content analysis revealed two central themes: initiating and sustaining sexual health conversations , and leveraging features of the couples to promote sexual health . Integrated findings indicate that couples possess varied communication patterns that operate with motivations for sexual health conversations toward subsequent sexual health promotion. Equitable and skewed communication patterns emerged as relationship assets that can be leveraged to optimize sexual health. There is also opportunity for future work to address communication regarding extra-dyadic behavior and preferences. Asset-based considerations are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Natalie M. Leblanc & Noelle M. St. Vil & Keosha T. Bond & Jason W. Mitchell & Adrian C. Juarez & Faith Lambert & Sadandaula R. Muheriwa & James McMahon, 2022. "Dimensions of Sexual Health Conversations among U.S. Black Heterosexual Couples," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-22, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2022:i:1:p:588-:d:1019193
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/1/588/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/1/588/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Najiha Alam & Pam Alldred, 2021. "Condoms, Trust and Stealthing: The Meanings Attributed to Unprotected Hetero-Sex," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-14, April.
    2. Adimora, A.A. & Schoenbach, V.J. & Doherty, I.A., 2007. "Concurrent sexual partnerships among men in the United States," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 97(12), pages 2230-2237.
    3. Morris, M. & Kurth, A.E. & Hamilton, D.T. & Moody, J. & Wakefield, S., 2009. "Concurrent partnerships and HIV prevalence disparities by race: Linking science and public health practice," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(6), pages 1023-1031.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Knopf, Amelia & Agot, Kawango & Sidle, John & Naanyu, Violet & Morris, Martina, 2015. "Reprint of: “This is the medicine:” A Kenyan community responds to a sexual concurrency reduction intervention," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 182-191.
    2. Anna B Cope & Catalina Ramirez & Robert F DeVellis & Robert Agans & Victor J Schoenbach & Adaora A Adimora, 2016. "Measuring Concurrency Attitudes: Development and Validation of a Vignette-Based Scale," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, October.
    3. Vidhura Tennekoon, 2017. "Counting unreported abortions: A binomial-thinned zero-inflated Poisson model," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 36(2), pages 41-72.
    4. Crooks, Natasha & Wise, Akilah & Frazier, Tyralynn, 2020. "Addressing sexually transmitted infections in the sociocultural context of black heterosexual relationships in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
    5. Bryan S. Graham, 2015. "Methods of Identification in Social Networks," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 7(1), pages 465-485, August.
    6. Elizabeth R Stevens & Kimberly A Nucifora & Mary K Irvine & Katherine Penrose & McKaylee Robertson & Sarah Kulkarni & Rebekkah Robbins & Bisrat Abraham & Denis Nash & R Scott Braithwaite, 2019. "Cost-effectiveness of HIV care coordination scale-up among persons at high risk for sub-optimal HIV care outcomes," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-16, April.
    7. Jennings, Jacky M. & Taylor, Ralph B. & Salhi, Rama A. & Furr-Holden, C. Debra M. & Ellen, Jonathan M., 2012. "Neighborhood drug markets: A risk environment for bacterial sexually transmitted infections among urban youth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(8), pages 1240-1250.
    8. Merli, M. Giovanna & Moody, James & Smith, Jeffrey & Li, Jing & Weir, Sharon & Chen, Xiangsheng, 2015. "Challenges to recruiting population representative samples of female sex workers in China using Respondent Driven Sampling," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 79-93.
    9. Knittel, Andrea K. & Snow, Rachel C. & Riolo, Rick L. & Griffith, Derek M. & Morenoff, Jeffrey, 2015. "Modeling the community-level effects of male incarceration on the sexual partnerships of men and women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 270-279.
    10. Cassels, Susan & Jenness, Samuel M. & Biney, Adriana A.E. & Dodoo, F. Nii-Amoo, 2017. "Geographic mobility and potential bridging for sexually transmitted infections in Agbogbloshie, Ghana," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 27-39.
    11. M. Merli & James Moody & Joshua Mendelsohn & Robin Gauthier, 2015. "Sexual Mixing in Shanghai: Are Heterosexual Contact Patterns Compatible With an HIV/AIDS Epidemic?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(3), pages 919-942, June.
    12. Jeffrey A. Smith & Jessica Burow, 2020. "Using Ego Network Data to Inform Agent-based Models of Diffusion," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 49(4), pages 1018-1063, November.
    13. Wendy Manning & Peggy Giordano & Monica Longmore & Christine Flanigan, 2012. "Young Adult Dating Relationships and the Management of Sexual Risk," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 31(2), pages 165-185, April.
    14. Robinson, Katy & Cohen, Ted & Colijn, Caroline, 2012. "The dynamics of sexual contact networks: Effects on disease spread and control," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 81(2), pages 89-96.
    15. Knopf, Amelia & Agot, Kawango & Sidle, John & Naanyu, Violet & Morris, Martina, 2014. "“This is the medicine:” A Kenyan community responds to a sexual concurrency reduction intervention," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 175-184.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2022:i:1:p:588-:d:1019193. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.