Risk among young gay and bisexual men living with HIV.

The influence of sexual orientation was examined on sexual risk behaviors, disclosure patterns, substance use, and stressful live events among 231 gay and bisexual youth living with HIV. Youth were mainly of ethnic minority heritage: 69.3% were Hispanic, African American, or biracial. Although there were significant differences in gay and bisexual youth's self-label and patterns of sexual attraction and sexual partners, there were few differences in other behavioral risk acts. The frequency of sexual risk acts, substance use, stressful life events, and child sexual abuse were similar for gay and bisexual youth and similar across ethnic groups. Disclosure of sexual orientation was significantly more common among gay youth compared with bisexual youth. Gay and bisexual identification appears to be a more critical factor than ethnicity in placing youth at risk for HIV. Care providers need to screen youth for sexual orientation and behaviors at a young age and inquire about age of partners, substance use, and history of sexual abuse.