Social Network and Contextual Influences on Substance Use and HIV Risk Among YMSM

描述（由申请人提供）：在美国，男男性行为者（MSM）仍然是受艾滋病毒感染影响最大的群体，年轻男性特别容易感染新的艾滋病毒。相当多的注意力一直致力于制定干预方案，以防止新的感染年轻男男性接触者（YMSM），但是，很少有研究已经进行了社交网络的YMSM和社会背景，YMSM从事高风险的行为，促进艾滋病毒的风险，如物质使用（SU）。经典社会学理论和几个著名的健康行为理论，如社会认知理论和理性行为理论，强调社会环境在影响个人行为方面的重要性。然而，很少有人知道的情况下，YMSM聚集在一起社交，以及如何这些情况下促进参与SU和艾滋病毒的风险行为。拟议的研究旨在使用混合方法的方法来检查洛杉矶县的YMSM的社交网络和与不同水平的SU和YMSM之间的HIV风险行为的背景。来自NIDA资助的“健康年轻人”（HYM）研究的数据将用于识别洛杉矶YMSM的社交网络模式以及洛杉矶YMSM聚集的社交环境（例如酒吧、俱乐部、咖啡店、书店）。使用人和群体的二元性理论，关于YMSM社会化模式的数据将被输入到矩阵中，这些矩阵可以作为社交网络进行分析（即，YMSM指定的共享上下文被认为是网络成员之间的“纽带”，并且指定特定社会上下文的网络成员充当这些上下文之间的纽带）。社交网络将在关注社会人口特征的情况下进行分析（例如，种族/民族、年龄、性别认同）。个人YMSM的属性，包括SU行为和性风险行为（SRB），将与YMSM提名的社会背景。在拟议研究的第二阶段，定性方法（例如，民族志观察数据、半结构式访谈）将被用来补充定量研究结果，以便更好地了解YMSM中最流行的社会背景的特征。两者合计，社会计量网络数据和定性数据将被用来通知新的或定制现有的干预措施，有针对性的社会背景，这可能是最有利于青年男同性恋者之间的SU和艾滋病毒预防信息的摄取的发展。 公共卫生相关性：男男性行为者（YMSM）受到艾滋病毒的影响不成比例。这项研究将有助于有效的药物滥用和艾滋病毒的危险行为干预YMSM通过了解社会网络和上下文的影响，有助于在这个人群中的药物使用和性风险。具体而言，社会网络分析加上定性实地考察将阐明社交网络和社会背景的特点，与不同程度的物质使用和艾滋病毒的风险行为。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Men who have sex with men (MSM) remain the group most affected by HIV infection in the United States with younger men at particular risk for new infection. Considerable attention has been devoted to developing intervention programs to prevent new infections among young MSM (YMSM); however, little research has been conducted on the social networks of YMSM and the social contexts where YMSM engage in high-risk behaviors that promote HIV risk, such as substance use (SU). Classical sociological theory and several prominent theories of health behavior, such as Social Cognitive Theory and the Theory of Reasoned Action, emphasize the importance of the social environment in influencing individual behavior. Yet little is known about the contexts in which YMSM gather to socialize and how these contexts facilitate engagement in SU and HIV risk behavior. The proposed study seeks to use a mixed-methods approach to examining social networks of YMSM in Los Angeles County and the contexts that are associated with varying levels of SU and HIV risk behavior among YMSM. Data from the NIDA-funded "Healthy Young Men" (HYM) study will be used to identify patterns in the social networks of YMSM in Los Angeles and the social contexts (e.g. bars, clubs, coffee shops, bookstores) where YMSM in Los Angeles gather. Using the Duality of Persons and Groups Theory, data on YMSM socialization patterns will be entered into matrices that can be analyzed as social networks (i.e., the shared contexts that YMSM nominate are regarded as "ties" between network members and network members who nominate a particular social context serve as ties between those contexts). Social networks will be analyzed with attention to sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, age, sexual identity). Attributes of individual YMSM, including SU behaviors and sexual risk behavior (SRB), will be associated with the social contexts that YMSM have nominated. During the second phase of the proposed study, qualitative methodologies (e.g., ethnographic observational data, semi-structured interviews) will be used to supplement quantitative findings in order to better understand the features of most popular social contexts among YMSM. Taken together, the sociometric network data and qualitative data will be used to inform the development of new or tailoring of existing interventions that are targeted to social contexts, which may be most conducive to the uptake of SU and HIV prevention messages among YMSM. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Young Men who have Sex with Men (YMSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV. This study will contribute to effective substance abuse and HIV risk behavior interventions for YMSM by understanding the social network and contextual influences that contribute to substance use and sexual risk in this population. Specifically, social network analysis coupled with qualitative fieldwork will elucidate characteristics of social networks and social contexts that are associated with varying levels of substance use and HIV risk behavior.