Social Geographies of Black Men who have sex with men: place, networks and HIV

在美国，与男性发生性关系的非裔美国男性（AA - MSM）继续不成比例地受到艾滋病毒和艾滋病的影响。这些差异还没有被个人层面的因素充分解释。迄今为止，许多艾滋病毒行为研究都集中在衡量特定的风险事件上，而没有考虑社会、地理（如艾滋病）。这些事件的空间和时间背景。时间和空间维度与同性行为的研究有关，特别是在经历高度污名化和歧视的AA男同性恋者中。研究发现，社会网络通过社会比较、社会监督和规范形成等过程，对个体的行为具有强大的影响。然而，人们不太了解的是，社交网络是如何受到时间和地理的影响的。很少有关于这些方面的研究，因为它们与艾滋病毒的风险和预防有关，特别是在AA男同性恋者中。K01职业发展奖将允许我进行跨学科的学习和研究，研究社会网络的时间和空间维度，以及它们如何影响艾滋病毒风险行为，特别是在AA男同性恋者中。这次培训将使我获得地理和定性方法方面的知识和技能，以补充我现有的研究，目的是更好地为文化上适当的干预措施的发展提供信息。具体来说，我将获得：1)从时间地理学、文化地理学和健康地理学的子学科中获得关于概念和方法的知识，因为它们适用于社会网络和艾滋病毒的研究；2)在时间地理学方法方面的培训，以收集发生在美国的艾滋病毒风险行为的数据

In the United States, African American men who have sex with men (AA MSM) continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS. These disparities have not been adequately explained by individual level factors. Much of the HIV behavioral research to date has focused on measuring specific risk events without consideration of the social, geographic (ie. spatial) and temporal context of these events. Temporal and spatial dimensions are pertinent to the study of same sex behavior, particularly among AA MSM, who experience high levels of stigmatization and discrimination. Social networks have been found to be powerful influences on individuals' behaviors, through processes of social comparison, social monitoring and norm formation. However, what is less understood are the ways in which social networks are also shaped by time and geography. There has been little study of these dimensions as they relate to HIV risk and prevention, especially among AA MSM. The K01 Career Development award will allow me to undertake an interdisciplinary program of study and research concerning the temporal and spatial dimensions of social networks and how these influence HIV risk behavior, specifically among AA MSM. This training will result in my acquisition of knowledge and skills in geography and qualitative methodology to complement my existing research, with the goal of better informing the development of culturally appropriate interventions. Specifically, I will gain: 1) knowledge about concepts and methodologies from the subdisciplines time-geography, cultural geography and health geography as they apply to the study of social networks and HIV, 2) training in time-geography methodology to collect data about HIV risk behavior as it occurs within the context of social networks, place and time, 3) training in observational ethnographic methods, 4) skills in qualitative data analysis and, 5) intensive mentoring and guidance to integrate the training and research with my current research such that I can seek funding as an independent scientist and advance the field of HIV prevention science. One of the primary outcomes of this training will include development of a conceptual model that social scientists can use to design future interventions and studies which incorporates the spatial and temporal dimensions of social networks and HIV risk behavior. This model will serve as a basis for developing a larger R01 level study of AA MSM and HIV risk and development and evaluation of an accompanying HIV prevention behavioral intervention. Furthermore, the research and training from the award will result in scientific publications that will advance the field of HIV prevention and behavioral science.