PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The mixed methods explanatory-sequential (QUANT¿quant) parent study will test a conceptual model of
social-structural stressors, protective factors, and drug use and co-occurring negative mental and physical
health outcomes among Black men at the intersection of sexual identity and socioeconomic position (SEP).
Informed by the intersectionality theoretical framework, the initial design for the parent study provided for three
sexual identity categories (i.e., gay, bisexual, and heterosexual) and two SEP positions (i.e., lower, higher) and
a sample size of 1,440 (i.e., 240 participants for each of the 6 sampling frames: lower- SEP gay, lower-SEP
bisexual, lower-SEP heterosexual, higher-SEP gay, higher-SEP bisexual, higher-SEP heterosexual). The
considerable challenges involved in recruiting bisexual men and doing so at two different SEP-categories, was
methodologically infeasible given the study's 5-year timeframe and limited resources. Thus a single sexual
minority (SM) category composed of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men was created to
produce a sampling frame stratified by just two sexual identity positions (i.e., SM and heterosexual). A
determination was made that this sampling frame was more methodologically feasible in terms of recruitment
because it provided for a sample size of 960 (i.e., 240 participants each of lower-SEP SM, lower-SEP
heterosexual, higher-SEP SM, higher-SEP heterosexual). To address the critical gaps that exist about Black
bisexual men's health, the goal of the proposed administrative supplement is to increase the number of Black
bisexual men participants and establish bisexual men as a distinct SM position for all of the parent study's
analyses. To accomplish this goal, an academic-community partnership will be established with BiNet USA, the
oldest national bisexual organization in the U.S. The proposed supplement adds new primary inferential and
exploratory analyses specific to bisexual men (Aim 1, parent study). It also adds a convergent mixed methods
design component in Phase I in which in-depth qualitative interviews will be conducted during the Phase I
quantitative analyses with 30 purposively sampled Phase I quantitative bisexual participants. The interviews
will facilitate a rich, culturally and contextually-grounded understanding of Black bisexual men's experiences
relevant to the parent study's focus, as well as their intersectionality-specific experiences (e.g., binegativity).
For Aim 3 of the parent study, Phases II (Focus Groups to Explain the Phase I Quantitative Results) and III
(Mixed Methods Syntheses and Assessment of Validity) are unchanged. Bisexual participants will be
purposively sampled for the Phase II focus groups. Phase III quantitative and qualitative synthesis analyses
will assess the convergence and divergence of results for bisexual participants. This specific focus on bisexual
participants represents a paradigmatic shift in sexual minority research. The significance of the proposed
research lies in the expected outcome of the future development of multilevel interventions to reduce drug use
and promote mental and physical health for Black bisexual men.
