Understanding How Adolescent Bullying Experiences Affect Traumatic Stress,Sexual Health and STI Risk among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)

项目摘要 该研究项目的重点是欺凌，心理健康和性传播感染之间的相互作用， 与男性发生性关系的男性（MSM）由于普遍存在的耻辱和同性恋恐惧症， 人口在青春期经常受到欺凌。然而，对MSM性行为的研究 健康并没有集中在这种接触，使得在文献中是一个显着的差距。定义 作为一个公共卫生问题，欺凌可以采取多种形式，从间歇性的戏弄， 身体暴力当前这一代的MSM也可能接触过社交媒体- 基于网络欺凌为了充分描述个人遭受欺凌的经历， 本研究将采用问卷调查法与目的性质性访谈法相结合。我们将 研究青少年时期遭受欺凌与当前心理健康状况之间的关系。 状态，特别是与创伤后应激相关的症状。我们希望男男性接触者 经历欺凌可能随后出现与PTSD一致的症状，包括 欺凌的侵入性记忆，无法控制的愤怒，压倒性的内疚或羞耻， 很难维持亲密的关系。他们也可能会经历抑郁，自卑， 自我毁灭行为，焦虑和自杀意念，这可能是创伤后应激障碍的一部分，也可能是 患有创伤后应激障碍总的来说，我们预计，受到更极端欺凌的男男性接触者将 经历更严重的创伤后应激障碍症状以及更差的性健康，包括更高的艾滋病毒风险。 青少年时期和之后社会支持的个体差异可能会减弱这种影响 关系尽管如此，我们假设与欺凌有关的创伤性症状会有 对男性性健康和危险行为的影响。如果这些假设的关系是 支持，它将指出需要一个专门针对欺凌的干预，针对长期的 MSM欺凌的有害后果。

Project Summary This research project focuses on the interplay of bullying, psychological health and STIs among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM). Due to pervasive stigma and homophobia, this vulnerable population is often exposed to bullying during adolescence. However, research on MSM sexual health has not focused on this exposure, making is a significant gap in the literature. Defined by the CDC as a public health problem, bullying can take many forms, from intermittent teasing to physical violence. The current generation of MSM may also have been exposed to social media- based cyber-bullying. In order to adequately describe individuals’ experiences with bullying, this study will use survey methods in combination with purposive qualitative interviews. We will examine the association of exposure to bullying during adolescence with current psychological status, in particular symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress. We expect that MSM who experience bullying may subsequently evidence symptoms consistent with PTSD including intrusive memories of the bullying, uncontrollable anger, overwhelming guilt or shame, and difficulty maintaining close relationships. They may also experience depression, low self-esteem, self-destructive behavior, anxiety and suicidal ideation, which may present as part of PTSD or be comorbid with PTSD. In general, we expect that MSM subject to more extreme bullying will experience greater PTSD symptoms as well as poorer sexual health, including higher HIV risks. Individual differences in social support during and after adolescence may attenuate this relationship. Nonetheless, we hypothesize that traumatic symptoms related to bullying will have ramifications for men’s sexual health and risk behavior. If these hypothesized relationships are supported, it would point to the need for a bullying-specific intervention targeting the long-term deleterious consequences of MSM bullying.