Beyond the Bisexual Bridge: Sexual Health Among U.S. Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women

Men who have sex with both men and women (MSMW) experience health problems in ways that distinguish them from men who only have sex with men (MSM) and men who only have sex with women (MSW). Historically, an undue focus on MSMW's potential role in transmitting HIV to women has resulted in limit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of preventive medicine 2014-09, Vol.47 (3), p.320-329
Main Author: JEFFRIES, William L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Bisexuality
Bisexuals
Bridges
Diseases
Female
Health Promotion - methods
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Ideology
Male
Medical sciences
Men
Miscellaneous
Partnership
Prevention and actions
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Reproductive Health
Risk
Risk Reduction Behavior
Risk-Taking
Sexual Behavior
Sexual Partners
Socioeconomic status
United States
Women
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Summary:Men who have sex with both men and women (MSMW) experience health problems in ways that distinguish them from men who only have sex with men (MSM) and men who only have sex with women (MSW). Historically, an undue focus on MSMW's potential role in transmitting HIV to women has resulted in limited understanding of these men's unique sexual health needs. This article discusses the sexual health of MSMW in the U.S. The author searched PubMed, Sociological Abstracts, PsycINFO, and GoogleScholar to acquire peer-reviewed studies pertaining to MSMW that were published during January 2008 and December 2013. Reference lists for these studies provided additional studies not acquired through this search. MSMW are more likely than MSW to be infected with HIV. MSMW may be at increased risk for some other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared with both MSW and MSM. Some factors that affect their sexual health include unprotected sex, early sexual debut, forced sexual encounters, increased numbers of sexual partners, substance use, exchange sex, risk behaviors of their male and female partners, and pregnancy-related considerations. These factors uniquely shape MSMW's vulnerability to HIV/STIs and other sexual health problems. Anti-bisexual sentiment, socioeconomic marginalization, culturally specific masculine ideologies, and sexual identity can negatively influence their sexual partnerships and likelihood of disease acquisition. Risk-reduction interventions alone are likely insufficient to improve MSMW's sexual health. Efforts should also address the social contexts affecting MSMW in order to decrease HIV/STI vulnerability and mitigate other barriers to MSMW's sexual health.
ISSN:0749-3797
1873-2607
DOI:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.05.002