Sexual HIV risk among Thai methamphetamine users

描述（由申请人提供）：很少有研究调查异性甲基苯丙胺（MA）使用者的性风险行为。在过去的十年里，马化腾已经成为泰国年轻人滥用的主要毒品。在许多情况下，MA与性风险行为的增加有关，但对其在这一人群中的影响知之甚少。现有的研究表明，泰国年轻人的性风险很高，但关于个人和社会对性行为的影响的数据有限。尽管泰国开展了数十年的艾滋病毒预防工作，但艾滋病毒流行率仍然很高，特别是在某些人群中。随着艾滋病毒进入泰国年轻人的社交网络，人们非常担心艾滋病毒传播的可能性。拟议的研究将在泰国清迈省18-29岁当前MA使用者及其毒品和性网络成员的横截面样本中探讨性风险行为的个人和社会层面。具体目的是：1)定性地探讨泰国MA使用者性行为的社会背景；2)研究人口统计学特征、药物使用模式、抑郁和性传播感染史等个人因素与性风险行为之间的关系；3)研究网络特征、关系特征、社会支持和性行为社会规范等社会层面因素对性风险行为的影响；4)建立预测性危险行为的个体、关系和社会网络因素之间的关系模型。深入访谈和定性分析方法将用于解决目标1；将使用双变量和多变量统计分析来解决目标1-3。研究结果将为艾滋病毒预防工作提供信息，以解决社会和个人对行为的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Few studies have examined sexual risk behaviors among heterosexual methamphetamine (MA) users. MA has become the leading drug of abuse among young people in Thailand over the past decade. MA has been associated with increased sexual risk behavior in many contexts, and relatively little is known about its impact in this population. Existing research shows high levels of sexual risk among Thai young people, but data are limited regarding individual and social influences on sexual behavior. Despite decades of HIV prevention in Thailand, HIV prevalence remains high, particularly in certain population segments. There is great concern about HIV transmission potential among young Thai MA users as HIV enters their social networks. The proposed study will explore individual and social dimensions of sexual risk behavior in a cross-sectional sample of 18-29 year old current MA users and members of their drug and sexual networks in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The specific aims are to: 1) qualitatively explore the social context of sexual behavior among Thai MA users; 2) examine the association between individual-level factors, such as demographic characteristics, drug use patterns, depression, and STI history, on sexual risk behavior; 3) examine the association between social-level factors, such as network characteristics, relationship characteristics, social support and social norms regarding sexual behavior on sexual risk behavior; and 4) model the relationship between and among individual, relationship, and social network factors in predicting sexual risk behavior. In-depth interviews and qualitative analysis methods will be used to address Aim 1; bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses will be used to address Aims 1-3. Findings will inform HIV prevention efforts addressing social as well as individual influences on behavior.