Social Networks and HIV Risk Behaviors of Special Populations of Drug Users

描述（由申请人提供）：这次重新提交的K02申请的主要目标是进一步发展Carrie Oser博士的富有成效的独立研究生涯，并通过获得有关社交网络和艾滋病毒干预发展的新培训，增加她对艾滋病毒，药物滥用治疗，犯罪和健康差距的研究重点。K02建立在她对特殊人群的关注之上，包括农村吸毒者和非裔美国人吸毒者。拟议的培训目标将为社会网络、艾滋病毒干预发展和负责任的研究行为提供新的指导。具体目的是：(1)与男性相比，确定503名农村戒毒妇女的HIV和HCV风险及其在社会网络中的纵向变化；(2)研究社会网络的影响，包括结构（如规模、密度）、功能（如情感和工具支持）和内容（如对医生的态度），对非洲裔美国吸毒妇女的艾滋病毒和丙型肝炎病毒风险行为和卫生服务利用的影响，与刑事司法状况的男性相比。这项重要的创新研究将对公共卫生产生重大影响，并将支持NIDA的健康差异倡议，因为它有可能有助于我们了解农村和非洲裔美国吸毒者之间健康差异的文化和社会网络相关因素。此外，本研究通过考察不同的社会网络（如自我中心、二元和社会中心），并在多层次模型中使用纵向数据，改进了以往研究结果在方法上的局限性。这

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary goal of this resubmitted K02 application is to further develop Dr. Carrie Oser's productive independent research career and to augment her research focus on HIV, substance abuse treatment, crime, and health disparities by gaining new training on social networks and HIV intervention development. The K02 builds upon her focus on special populations, including both rural drug users and African American drug users. The proposed training goals will provide new instruction in social networks, HIV intervention development, and the responsible conduct of research. The specific aims are: (1) to identify HIV and HCV risk and longitudinal changes in risk in the social networks of 503 rural out-of-treatment drug using women, as compared to men; and (2) to examine the effect of social networks, including structure (e.g., size, density), function (e.g., emotional and instrument support), and content (e.g., attitudes towards physicians), on HIV and HCV risk behaviors and health services utilization among African American drug using women, as compared to men, across criminal justice status. This significant and innovative study will have strong public healt impacts and will support NIDA's Health Disparities Initiative because of its potential to contribut to our understanding of the cultural and social network correlates of health disparities among both rural and African American drug users. In addition, this study improves upon the methodological limitations of previous research findings by examining various social networks (e.g., egocentric, dyadic, and sociocentric) and using longitudinal data in multilevel models. This proposed project will allow for a practical application of the substantive knowledge and analytical skills acquired from the K02 training activities and will ultimately culminate in the development of forthcoming investigator initiated NIDA grant applications. Specifically, these findings will be used as a foundation for future HIV social networks based intervention to increase special populations' use of preventative health care and subsequently reduce the need for expensive medical services, as well as to decrease HIV risk behaviors including drug use, unprotected sex, and recidivism.