Examining Discrepancies Among Sexual Orientation Components in a Representative Sample of Men at Risk for HIV/AIDS

The study compares the effects associated with sexual orientation components (sexual identity, sexual attraction, and sexual behavior in the past three months) on rates of reported mental illness and risky sexual behavior in a representative sample of men at high risk for HIV/AIDS. Important differences between populations of individuals who responded consistently and inconsistently across sexual orientation components were observed, and effects in each of these populations were different that those in the combined sample. These findings suggest that the effects of one sexual orientation component may depend on associations among components, and thus researchers should be cautious when examining single components in isolation.