School of Public Health, Rutgers University.
Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies, Rutgers School of Public Health.
J Sex Res. 2021 May-Jun;58(5):573-580. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2020.1783505. Epub 2020 Jul 1.
Age of sexual debut is a critical health indicator for young sexual minority men (YSMM), associated with an increased likelihood of HIV acquisition, use of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances, and psychological distress. This study examined the age of same-sex sexual debut for five sexual behaviors in a sample of racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse gay-identified YSMM in New York City. The mean age of sexual debut of any behavior was 14.5 years old and 19% of the sample reported sexual debut prior to age 13. Overall, mutual masturbation occurred at the youngest mean age, followed by performed oral, received oral, receptive anal, and insertive anal intercourse. There were significant differences by race/ethnicity and perceived familial socioeconomic status (SES), such that Black and Hispanic/Latino men had earlier ages of debut for performed oral and receptive and insertive anal sex, while upper SES men had later ages of debut for receptive and insertive anal intercourse. These findings are relevant to trends in HIV incidence in the U.S., which are highest among Black and Hispanic/Latino YSMM and may be associated with earlier age of sexual debut. These findings also underscore a need for comprehensive and inclusive sex education at younger ages.
性初体验年龄是年轻的性少数群体男性（YSMM）的一个关键健康指标，与 HIV 感染、酒精、烟草和其他物质的使用以及心理困扰的可能性增加有关。本研究调查了纽约市种族/民族和社会经济多样化的同性恋 YSMM 样本中五种性行为的同性性初体验年龄。任何行为的性初体验平均年龄为 14.5 岁，19%的样本报告性初体验发生在 13 岁之前。总体而言，相互手淫发生的平均年龄最小，其次是主动口交、接受口交、被动肛交和主动肛交。不同种族/民族和感知家庭社会经济地位（SES）之间存在显著差异，例如，黑人男性和西班牙裔/拉丁裔男性的主动口交和被动肛交、主动肛交的初体验年龄更早，而上层 SES 男性的被动肛交和主动肛交的初体验年龄更晚。这些发现与美国 HIV 发病率的趋势相关，在黑人男性和西班牙裔/拉丁裔 YSMM 中发病率最高，可能与性初体验年龄更早有关。这些发现还强调了需要在更年轻时进行全面和包容的性教育。
