cultural influences

Ghosh, C, Healthy People 2010 and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders: Defining a Baseline of Information. 2003. February 22 2005.

This article recalls the Health Resources and Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services goal of understanding and improving the 6 areas of disparity among minority health services, including HIV/AIDS.

Carrier, J., Nguyen, B., & Su, S. Vietnamese American Sexual Behaviors and HIV Infection. 1992. Available: article link. February 22 2005.

This article concentrates on the behaviors of Vietnamese Americans and the risks associated with HIV. The study found that in southern California, homosexual Vietnamese Americans were the largest group of carriers for the disease. The information may be a bit out of date, but still credible, since homosexuals make up 71% of the HIV/AIDS cases in the AAPI community surgeon general

Chang, Tai, Yeh C. "Using Online Groups to Provide Support for Asian American Men: Racial, Cultural, Gender and Treatment Issues." Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 34(6).December 2003 (2003): 634-343.

I found this article useful because it touched upon the views of Asian American men and their masculinity. It explained how the quintessential male was in control, autonomous and self-reliant. This article is relevant to AAPI sexuality because it explains that Asian American men will not seek help when necessary; this is especially vital when speaking about sexual health. Both authors are Asian American and have Ph.D's in psychology Both are professors at prestigious universities; Columbia and Stanford. In addition, this article was published in the Journal of Professional Psychology.

Chng, Chwee Lye; Wong, Frank; Chen, Jarvis. Response to Bisexual and Homosexual Behavior and Hiv Risk among Chinese-, Filipino-, and Korean-American Men. 1997. February 22 2005.

This is a response by 3 Asian Americans to the "Bisexual and homosexual behavior and HIV risk among Chinese-, Filipino-, and Korean-American men" article written by David Matteson, whom I presume is not Asian American. This article says that Matteson's article is too onsided; assuming that bisexual and/or homosexual Asian Americans only engaged in sex with non Asian Americans". This too was published in the Journal of Sex Research.

Futa, K. T., Hsu, E., & Hansen, D. J. Child Sexual Abuse in Asian American Families: An Examination of Cultural Factors That Influence Prevalence, Identification, and Treatment. 2001. Available: article link February 22 2005.

This article observes the affect that child sex abuse has on one's attitudes toward family, sexuality, and the mental health. This article is useful because often times when one is sexually abused, it has a profound and negative impact on their lives. Sexual abuse among Asian Americans is fairly unexplored so this article touches the surface of this sensitive subject. I found this article credible because not only was it peer reviewed, as I looked over the works cited, I found that the authors used relevant and credible references such as articles from the Journal of Child Psychiatry and Handbook of Asian American Psychology; written by AAPI’s and non AAPI’s alike.

Komatsu, R. Kamakura, M., Choi, K., McFarland, W . Aids, HIV and STD among Japanese and Japanese-Americans in San Francisco. 2003. February 22 2005.

This article was interesting because it discussed how Japanese (from Japan) and Japanese American men were more likely to seek out medical care for STD's or HIV than men of other Asian American ethnicities. Turns out that Japanese men would come abroad to the U.S. and seek medical attention. Three of the authors have a doctorate degree and one of the authors is a physician, which is why I found this source credible.

Matteson, David R. Bisexual and Homosexual Behavior and Hiv Risk among Chinese-, Filipino- and Korean-American Men. 1997. February 2005 2005.

Published in the Journal of Sex Research, I found this article useful because it discussed the sexual behaviors of non-heterosexual Asian American men. The data suggested that a combination of inaccurate information about HIV transmission, unfounded trust of partners, poor assertiveness skills, and guilt may result in sexual risk taking.

Mo, B. "Modesty, Sexuality, and Breast Health in Chinese-American Women." Western Journal of Medicine 3 (1992): 260-64.

This article explores the attitudes that Chinese American women have on their sexual, physical and mental health. It may come as no surprise that Asian American women are rather tight-lipped when it comes to their sexuality but this article goes into depth about cultural influences and its impact and affect on their well being.

Ng, M. L., & Lau, M. D. Sexual Attitudes in the Chinese. 1992. Available: article link. February 22 2005.

This article explores the didactic attitudes the Chinese have towards sex. The sexual attitudes of the Chinese have been described by scholars as either suppressive or non-suppressive, based on cultural observation. This confusion and Chinese history and culture are discussed.

Sumie, Okazaki. "Influences of Culture on Asian American's Sexuality." Journal of Sex Research 39. February 2002 (2002): 34-42.

This article was published in the Journal of Sex Research by an Asian American. This article is useful because it goes into detail as to why Asian cultural customs such as modesty and sexual restraint affect Asian American sexuality. It also provided statistical data such as the average age of first sexual encounter. Not surprisingly, on average, AAPI experienced their first sexual encounter at a later age than other ethnicity groups.