Best Practices for Engaging Gay Latino Male Sexual Assault Survivors: Ensuring Trauma-Informed and Culturally Relevant Care

Background and Purpose: There is a lack of empirical literature examining the experiences of gay Latino sexual assault survivors in the United States, due in part because there is little research focused on how to effectively recruit and engage Latino sexual assault survivors as participants in research. While researchers have utilized various recruitment methods to engage gay Latino cisgender men, they have not focused specifically on gay Latino or Black male sexual assault survivors. In order to expand our knowledge on the experiences of gay Latino (including Black) male sexual assault survivors, it is imperative to understand how best to engage with gay Latino sexual assault survivors in research. To address this gap, this study examined effective strategies for recruiting and engaging with gay Latino sexual assault survivors. Best practices and recommendations are provided to engage with men in a trauma-informed and culturally responsive fashion.

Methods: 14 in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with gay Latino sexual assault survivors from six cities in the United States, in Spanish and/or English. 4 self-identified as Black Latino men. Various best practice and recommended strategies were utilized for hard-to-reach populations including: gatekeepers, personal contacts, snowball sampling, newspaper advertisements, social media, and geosocial applications (GSNA). Careful consideration as taken into account when engaging with survivors in our study.

Findings: Our findings resulted in three main lessons learned: (1) a GSNA was the most effective method to recruit gay Latino sexual assault survivors; (2) a wide array of recruitment methods were employed to recruit gay Latino sexual assault survivors; and (3) successful recruitment relied on effectively engaging with gay Latino sexual assault survivors during the screening and interview process. Gatekeepers did not prove to be an effective method of recruitment. While 16 agencies were contacted, none were willing to recruit gay Latino male sexual assault survivors. Three key factors emerged during the process: concerns regarding confidentiality and anonymity, risk of retraumatization, and researcher positionality.

Conclusion and Implications: A geosocial networking application (Grindr) was the most successful method of recruitment due to the ability to reach a large population in a short amount of time. Contrary to prior literature, gatekeepers did not prove effective, and such considerations should be taken into account when working with gay Latino male sexual assault survivors. Male survivors were hesitant to speak about their experiences due to issues of confidentiality and anonymity. The screening interview allowed for developing rapport and trust with participants, which ultimately determined their willingness to participate in the study. The avoidance of re-traumatization both during the screening process and interview process is critical when working with gay Latino sexual assault survivors.