Use of Smartphones Applications for Partnering among MSM

描述(由申请人提供)：智能手机技术(即移动电话，如iPhone、Android手机和新一代黑莓手机)为男男性行为者(MSM)提供了一个新的性伴场所。事实上，有越来越多的智能手机应用程序旨在促进MSM之间的性伴侣关系。虽然所有智能手机都可以访问互联网上的性伴侣网站，但为性伴侣设计的智能手机应用程序更进一步，利用智能手机内置的全球定位系统(GPS)技术来帮助MSM识别地理上离他们当前位置最近的潜在伴侣。因此，这些技术可能加快了男性通过传统互联网与性伴侣见面和联系的速度。此外，考虑到男性能够利用这些应用程序安排性行为的便利，有理由质疑是否、何时以及如何发生性谈判和血清状态披露。总体研究目标是了解启用GPS的智能手机应用程序的性质、使用方式以及通过智能手机应用程序发生性伴关系的过程如何促进MSM的性危险行为。我们将对60名MSM(20名非洲裔美国人，20名拉丁裔，20名白人；其中25%为HIV阳性)进行深入的定性访谈，他们在过去3个月内曾使用智能手机应用程序与性伴侣见面。对于下面的每个目标，虽然我们的重点是智能手机的使用，但我们也会收集他们使用互联网合作网站的信息，作为比较的背景，并确定哪些可能是智能手机使用的独特之处。这项研究的目的是：1.调查智能手机应用程序如何以及为什么被用于性伴侣，以及它们被使用的场合和地点，以深入了解这些使用模式可能如何助推性危险行为。2.调查男男性接触者使用智能手机应用程序寻找性伴的过程(即，他们寻找谁，他们如何展示自己，他们如何交流，更安全的性行为谈判的程度，以及披露)，以深入了解这一过程可能如何助推性危险行为。3.调查MSM在使用智能手机应用程序寻找或相见性伴侣时所经历的性和情绪状态(例如，更多/更少的紧迫感、唤醒和冲动)，并深入了解这些状态可能如何导致性危险行为。4.检查智能手机提供的干预措施的感知需求和可接受性，并评估MSM认为哪些是基于智能手机的性风险降低干预所需的组成部分。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Smartphone technologies (i.e., cellular telephones, such as the iPhone, Android phones, and newer generation Blackberry phones), have provided a new venue for sexual partnering among men who have sex with men (MSM). Indeed, there are a rapidly growing number of smartphone applications designed to facilitate sexual partnering among MSM. Although all smartphones can access Internet sites for sexual partnering, smartphone applications designed for sexual partnering go a step further by utilizing the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology built into smartphones to help MSM identify potential partners who are geographically closest to their current position. As such, these technologies may have accelerated the rate with which men can meet and connect with sexual partners over that of the traditional Internet. Furthermore, given the expediency with which men are able to arrange sexual encounters using these applications, there is cause to question if, when, and how sexual negotiation and serostatus disclosure occurs. The overall study goal is to understand how sexual risk behaviors among MSM may be facilitated by the nature of GPS-enabled smartphone applications, the way they are used, and the process by which sexual partnering occurs via smartphone applications. We will conduct in-depth qualitative interviews with 60 MSM (20 African American, 20 Latino, 20 White; 25% of whom are HIV-positive) who have utilized smartphone applications to meet sexual partners in the past 3 months. For each of the aims below, while our focus is on smartphone use, we will also collect information on their use of Internet partnering sites to use as a context for comparison and identify what might be unique to smartphone usage. The study aims are: 1. Examine how and why smartphone applications are used for sexual partnering, the situations and locations in which they are used, in order to gain insights into how these use patterns might contribute to sexual risk behaviors. 2. Investigate the process by which MSM use smartphone applications to find sexual partners (i.e., who they look for, how they present themselves, how they communicate, extent of safer sex negotiation,and disclosure) to gain insights into how this process may contribute to sexual risk behaviors. 3. Investigate the sexual and emotional states (e.g., more/less urgency, arousal, impulsivity) that MSM experience when seeking or meeting sexual partners using smartphone applications and gain insights into how these states may contribute to sexual risk behaviors. 4. Examine the perceived need and acceptability of a smartphone delivered intervention and assess what MSM perceive as needed components for a smartphone-based sexual risk reduction intervention.