HIV Risk among Male Parolees and their Female Partners

描述(由申请人提供)：艾滋病毒/艾滋病对美国囚犯的影响不成比例。在美国，有色人种女性和低收入女性的艾滋病毒感染率和艾滋病诊断率也高得不成比例。最近的研究表明，监禁方面的种族差异可能与健康差异有关，包括艾滋病毒/艾滋病方面的差异。探索被监禁男子和有色人种低收入妇女之间不成比例的艾滋病毒/艾滋病水平如何相关的研究至关重要。这项拟议的研究将对男性伴侣最近出狱并接受假释监督的男女夫妻双方成员(“男性假释者”)进行。这项研究的具体目标是：1)使用定量方法，我们将评估夫妇中每个成员的艾滋病毒风险行为，并确定个人层面和夫妇层面对艾滋病毒风险和减少风险的心理社会影响；2)使用定性方法，我们将描述男性监禁的背景对夫妇涉及艾滋病毒风险和减少风险的决策过程的独特影响；3)使用定量和定性方法，我们将调查男性和女性对艾滋病毒风险和减少风险的看法如何影响他们自己的行为和夫妇内部的行为。我们的初步研究强调了理解男子被监禁的背景如何影响夫妇涉及艾滋病毒风险和减少风险的决策过程的复杂性，并迫使我们对这一问题进行夫妇层面的研究。公共卫生研究人员已经确定，有必要开发和提供针对特定人群的艾滋病毒干预和服务，以便在释放后在监狱和家中社区都受到监禁影响的人。这项拟议的研究将产生关于男性假释者与其女性伴侣之间的二元关系中艾滋病毒风险和风险降低的关键信息，这些信息可用于为每年经历自己或伴侣监禁的数百万低收入有色人种制定适合人群的有效干预措施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects prisoners in the United States. Women of color and low-income women in the United States also have disproportionately high rates of HIV infection and AIDS diagnosis. Recent studies have shown that racial disparities in incarceration can be linked to health disparities, including disparities in HIV/AIDS. Research exploring how the disproportionate levels of HIV/AIDS among incarcerated men and among low-income women of color are related is crucial. The proposed study will be conducted with both members of male-female couples in which the male partner was recently released from prison and is under parole supervision ("male parolees"). The specific aims of the proposed study are: 1) Using quantitative methods, we will assess the HIV-risk behaviors of each member of the couple and identify individual-level and couple-level psychosocial influences on HIV risk and risk reduction; 2) Using qualitative methods, we will describe the unique influence of the context of a man's incarceration on couples' decision-making processes involving HIV risk and risk reduction; 3) Using quantitative and qualitative methods, we will investigate how males' and females' perspectives on HIV risk and risk reduction influence both their own behavior and behavior within the couple. Our preliminary studies have underscored the complexities of understanding how the context of a man's incarceration influences couples' decision-making processes involving HIV risk and risk reduction and have compelled us to undertake couple-level research on this issue. Public-health researchers have identified the necessity of developing and providing population-specific HIV interventions and services for people affected by incarceration both in prison and in their home neighborhoods post-release. The proposed research will yield critical information about HIV risk and risk reduction in dyadic relationships between male parolees and their female partners that can be used to develop population-appropriate and effective interventions for the millions of low-income people of color who experience their own or their partner's incarceration each year.