Does Acculturative Stress Influence Immigrant Sexual HIV Risk and HIV Testing Behavior? Evidence from a Survey of Male Mexican Migrants

Objective Migration is a structural factor that increases HIV vulnerability. Acculturative stress represents a possible mechanism through which migration may negatively impact HIV risk. This study investigated socio-ecological factors associated with acculturative stress levels and examined the association between acculturative stress and HIV-related behavior among Mexican im/migrants. Methodology We used data from a probability survey of Mexican im/migrants (N = 1383) conducted in Tijuana, Mexico, in 2009-2010. The sample included migrants returning to Mexico via deportation or voluntarily after a recent stay in the USA. Linear regression models were estimated to identify individual, migration, and contextual factors independently associated with overall acculturative stress levels. Logistic regression models were used to test for associations between acculturative stress, sexual HIV risk, and HIV testing history behavior. Results We found that levels of acculturative stress were significantly and independently related to socio-economic markers, acculturation level, legal residence status, and sexual minority status. The analyses also showed that acculturative stress was positively related to sexual HIV risk behavior and negatively related to recent HIV testing. Conclusions The results underscore that both individual and environmental factors contribute to levels of acculturative stress among Mexican im/migrants. In turn, acculturative stress may exacerbate sexual HIV risk and impede testing among this im/migrant population. Targeted interventions to prevent and decrease acculturative stress represent a potential strategy to reduce sexual HIV risk behavior and promote HIV testing among this vulnerable population of im/migrants in the USA.