Health and Well-being of YMCSM
Through a partnership between Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Penn State and under the directions of Drs. Michele Kipke (PI) and Bethany Bray, I am working as part of the team of methodologists to apply innovative methods to the ongoing Healthy Young Men's Cohort Study. Details of the current papers and studies are included below.
Current Projects
Unpacking the Effects of Stress and Discrimination on Substance Use: Similarities and Differences among YMCSM:
Results demonstrate similarities and differences between race/ethnic groups in substance use etiology among YMCSM. Stressful life events were associated with greater prevalence of all six month substance use across all race/ethnic groups. The effects of discrimination varied by race/ethnic group and substance. Thus, unpacking the connection between stigma-related minority stress and substance use requires investigation of differences within populations experiencing health disparities (i.e., YMCSM). For example, compared to Latino YMCSM, Black YMCSM reported lower prevalence of poppers use, yet when they experienced sexualized racism their poppers use exceeded that of Latino participants. Researchers must account for subgroup differences when attempting to understand how different types of minority-stressors together contribute to substance use outcomes.
Drug Use Patterns Among Young Men of Color Who Have Sex with Men:
By examining comprehensive drug use patterns and their associations with known risk factors, this study took the first step towards understanding which YMCSM are at greatest risk for certain patterns of drug use. In turn, these results can be used as a starting point for understanding change over time in drug use patterns and the complex processes that underlie drug-related health disparities for YMCSM. Implications for increasing health equity through prevention will be discussed.
Optimism and Resilience Moderating Links from Acute and Chronic Minority Stress to Mental Health Outcomes:
Preliminary results suggest severity of acute stress (measured as stressful life events) is a stronger predictor of depression, anxiety, and suicidality than chronic stress (measured as discrimination) and that optimism more frequently than resilience moderates this minority stress pathway pathway.
- Collaborators: Michele D. Kipke, Bethany C. Bray, Katrina Kubicek
- My role: Lead data analyst, study conceptualization
- Status: Paper in preparation, submitted for presentation to National LGBT Health Conference (2019)
Results demonstrate similarities and differences between race/ethnic groups in substance use etiology among YMCSM. Stressful life events were associated with greater prevalence of all six month substance use across all race/ethnic groups. The effects of discrimination varied by race/ethnic group and substance. Thus, unpacking the connection between stigma-related minority stress and substance use requires investigation of differences within populations experiencing health disparities (i.e., YMCSM). For example, compared to Latino YMCSM, Black YMCSM reported lower prevalence of poppers use, yet when they experienced sexualized racism their poppers use exceeded that of Latino participants. Researchers must account for subgroup differences when attempting to understand how different types of minority-stressors together contribute to substance use outcomes.
Drug Use Patterns Among Young Men of Color Who Have Sex with Men:
- Collaborators: Bethany C. Bray, Katrina Kubicek, Michele D. Kipke,
- My role: Data analyst, study conceptualization
- Status: Advanced data analysis, submitted for presentation to Society for Prevention Research Annual Meeting (2019)
By examining comprehensive drug use patterns and their associations with known risk factors, this study took the first step towards understanding which YMCSM are at greatest risk for certain patterns of drug use. In turn, these results can be used as a starting point for understanding change over time in drug use patterns and the complex processes that underlie drug-related health disparities for YMCSM. Implications for increasing health equity through prevention will be discussed.
Optimism and Resilience Moderating Links from Acute and Chronic Minority Stress to Mental Health Outcomes:
- Collaborators: Marco Hidalgo, Bethany C. Bray, Katrina Kubicek, Michele D. Kipke,
- My role: Data analyst, study conceptualization
- Status: on-going analyses and study development
Preliminary results suggest severity of acute stress (measured as stressful life events) is a stronger predictor of depression, anxiety, and suicidality than chronic stress (measured as discrimination) and that optimism more frequently than resilience moderates this minority stress pathway pathway.
