Women, Alcohol and HIV Risk: Examining Dyad Interactions

描述(由申请人提供)：年轻女性的艾滋病毒感染率仍然很高。到目前为止，这一群体艾滋病毒传播的主要途径是风险活动。研究表明，年轻人不擅长评估潜在伴侣的艾滋病毒风险，饮酒可能会导致风险评估不准确。这项拟议研究的目标是通过描绘酒精影响潜在伴侣艾滋病毒风险评估的机制，减少女性感染艾滋病毒的几率。虽然酒精在冒险行为中的作用已经通过调查方法进行了广泛的研究，但很少有关于这一主题的实验研究。以前的实验研究利用对调查或小插曲的回答作为实际社会互动的替代品。这项拟议的研究利用实验方法来调查酒精对女性在面对面互动中对男性邦联成员的感知和行为反应的影响。这项拟议的研究是一项实验室实验，采用3(参与者的酒精状况：清醒、安慰剂、醉酒)×2(邦联成员的已知艾滋病毒风险：低、高)×2(邦联成员的关系兴趣：低、高)设计。通过包含一个安慰剂细胞，酒精的预期和药理作用都可以被检查。南部邦联被操纵的特征反映了风险决策的各个方面，这可能会给女性带来冲突。关于酒精对认知的影响的理论表明，高度冲突的情况特别容易受到酒精相关风险的影响。在实验室环节之前，参与者将完成问卷调查，评估他们的态度、先前的行为和可能影响他们对潜在伴侣的风险评估的个性特征，如约会和关系史、对随意关系的态度、经常饮酒、酒精预期、性别角色信念和冲动。这些个体差异变量也将被视为酒精对风险评估和行为影响的潜在调节因素。因变量将包括风险评估和决策的自我报告措施。此外，每一次会议都将被录像和编码，以评估参与者对邦联的行为反应。这项研究的发现将有助于为年轻女性量身定做预防计划。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Rates of HIV infection remain high among young women. By far, the major route of HIV transmission for this group is risk activity. Research suggests that young adults are not adept at assessing the HIV risk of potential partners, and that alcohol consumption may contribute to inaccurate risk assessment. The goal of the proposed research is to reduce the incidence of women's acquisition of HIV by delineating the mechanisms through which alcohol affects assessment of a potential partner's HIV risk. Although alcohol's role in risk taking behaviors has been studied extensively through survey methodology, few experimental studies have been conducted on this topic. Previous experimental studies have utilized responses to surveys or vignettes as proxies for actual social interaction. The proposed study utilizes experimental methods in order to investigate alcohol's effects on women's perceptions of and behavioral reactions to a male confederate during a face-to-face interaction. The proposed study is a laboratory experiment using a 3 (Alcohol condition of participant: Sober, Placebo, Intoxicated) X 2 (Known HIV risk of confederate: Low, High) X 2 (Relationship interest of confederate: Low, High) design. Through the inclusion of a placebo cell, both expectancy and pharmacological effects of alcohol can be examined. Manipulated characteristics of the confederate reflect aspects of risky decision making that may create conflict for women. Theories about alcohol's effects on cognition suggest that it is high conflict situations that are especially vulnerable to alcohol-related risk taking. Prior to the laboratory session, participants will complete questionnaires that assess their attitudes, prior behaviors, and personality traits that may affect their risk assessment of potential partners, such as dating and relationship history, attitudes about casual relationships, usual alcohol consumption, alcohol expectancies, gender role beliefs, and impulsivity. These individual difference variables will also be examined as potential moderators of alcohol's effects on risk assessment and behavior. Dependent variables will include self report measures of risk appraisal and decision making. In addition, each session will be videotaped and coded in order to assess participants' behavioral reactions to the confederate. The findings of this study will contribute to tailoring prevention programs specifically for young women.