Behavioral Risk in Men Recruited Online

描述（由申请人提供）：公共卫生问题：艾滋病毒在男男性行为者（MSM）中传播的死灰复燃令人担忧，因为自1999年以来，MSM中新诊断的艾滋病毒病例数量有所增加。男男性接触者的艾滋病感染率明显高于一般人群，近年来关于男男性接触者危险性行为的研究也越来越多，包括多性伴、无保护肛交（UAI）和药物使用等。 目的：这项研究的长期目标是确定与艾滋病毒感染相关的特定药物使用和其他高风险行为，可能适合在线教育，预防和/或减少伤害。 具体目标：具体目标包括检查药物和酒精使用与高风险性行为之间的关联;检测艾滋病毒，并了解艾滋病毒状况;在使用互联网满足性伴侣的男性中向（潜在）性伴侣披露艾滋病毒状况;并测试物质使用和高风险性行为之间的潜在因果途径或过程的可行性。 研究设计和方法：我们有独特的机会来研究相关因素，并调查目前正在通过各种面向同性恋的普遍兴趣和面向性的网站招募进行匿名行为互联网调查的男性中可能的潜在因果途径或HIV风险过程。我们将探索高风险行为与潜变量建模（LVM），它检查潜在的因果途径或过程，并允许多变量关系（包括直接和间接影响）的评估，其中一些将涉及潜在的维度。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Public Health Problem: A resurgence in HIV transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM) is a cause for concern, as the number of newly diagnosed HIV cases among MSM has increased since 1999. MSM have a considerably higher HIV prevalence rate than that of the general population, and there is growing information on recent sexual risk behavior trends among MSM, which include multiple sex partners, unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), and substance use. Objectives: The long-term objective of this research is to identify specific drug use and other high-risk behavior(s) associated with HIV infection, potentially amenable to online education, prevention and/or harm reduction. Specific Aims: The specific aims include examining the association between drug and alcohol use and the engagement in high-risk sexual behavior; testing for HIV, and knowledge of HIV status; disclosure of HIV status to (potential) sex partners among men who use the Internet to meet sex partners; and testing the viability of underlying causal pathways or processes between substance use and high-risk sexual behavior associated with HIV transmission among MSM. Research Design and Methods: We have the unique opportunity to study correlates and investigate plausible underlying causal pathways or processes of HIV risk in men who are currently being recruited for an anonymous behavioral Internet-based survey through various gay-oriented general interest and sex-oriented websites. We will explore high-risk behaviors with latent variable modeling (LVM), which examines underlying causal pathways or processes and allows evaluation of multivariable relationships (including direct and indirect effects), some of which will involve latent dimensions.