An Examination of Cigarette Smoking, Traditional Machismo, and Caballerismo Among Sexual Minority Latino Men

Despite Latino sexual minority men (SMM) reporting high cigarette smoking rates compared to their heterosexual counterparts, limited research has investigated culturally relevant associations of smoking among this population. The gender role component of caballerismo may relate to no/low smoking to avoid smoking-related comorbidities with the potential of indirectly impacting the family. The other component, traditional machismo, may relate to difficulty expressing emotions, resulting in reliance on avoidant coping strategies to regulate negative affect, such as smoking. The present study's objective was to investigate how traditional machismo and caballerismo are associated with smoking among Latino SMM. Self-identified Latino SMM were recruited resulting in a sample of 151 individuals. Participants were recruited from within Southern California and were, on average, 24.19 years of age (SD = 3.19). Logistic regression analyses examined the associations between traditional machismo, caballerismo, and cigarette smoking. Bivariate results showed a significant positive correlation between traditional machismo and the number of cigarettes smoked per day and a significant negative correlation between caballerismo and the number of cigarettes smoked per day. In a multivariable model, traditional machismo scores were associated with 3.56 increased odds of smoking 1+ cigarette(s)/day and 2.15 increased odds of smoking 10+ cigarettes/day. Caballerismo scores were not significantly associated with smoking 1+ nor 10+ cigarettes/day. Traditional machismo may be a risk factor for cigarette smoking among Latino SMM. Caballerismo may, to an extent, be associated with low cigarette smoking. Smoking prevention/cessation programs with this vulnerable population may wish to address traditional machismo and caballerismo.