The Role of Religion in the Social Cognitive Model of Sexual Risk

描述(由申请人提供)：艾滋病毒和性传播感染对非裔美国人社区的影响不成比例，特别是在南方。吸毒是导致许多非裔美国人艾滋病毒风险增加的一个主要因素。使用兴奋剂尤其与参与高危性行为有关，如不一致地使用避孕套，多个性伴侣，以及以性换取毒品和金钱。这使非裔美国人可卡因使用者面临极大的艾滋病毒传播风险。为有效应对这一脆弱但服务不足的人群中的艾滋病毒风险，有必要采取以理论为基础、以文化为基础的、量身定制的减少风险干预措施。研究发现，基于信仰的干预在高危非裔美国人中特别有效和受欢迎，因为他们与宗教和宗教机构有很强的文化和个人联系，特别是在生活在美国南部的非裔美国人中。此外，研究表明，宗教的某些方面与减少参与危险行为有关，如吸毒和不安全的性行为，特别是在非裔美国人中。然而，很少有研究不仅检验性风险与宗教之间的联系，而且还探索性风险与宗教之间的内在和人际机制。通过使用相关统计、多元回归和路径分析，这项拟议的研究旨在调查基于社会认知理论的路径，宗教通过哪些途径影响居住在南方农村的非洲裔美国人可卡因吸毒者的独特样本中的性风险。通过对通过母公司研究收集的基线数据的补充评估，降低非洲裔农村美国农村可卡因使用者的性风险(1R01DA024575-01)，拟议的研究旨在测试研究假设，并探索社会认知中介在多大程度上解释和不解释假设的联系。这项研究的具体目的是：(1)测试几条可以解释不同宗教结构、基于SCT的结构和性危险行为之间的关系的途径，以及(2)检验可能影响这些途径并对干预发展具有重要意义的重要潜在调节因素和协变量。公共卫生相关性：拟议的研究具有重大意义和创新性，因为它探索了宗教可能影响性风险的人与人之间和个人内部的途径，将健康行为理论应用于宗教健康研究，并纳入了研究不足的高危人群。这项研究的结果将使研究人员更好地理解宗教和性风险之间重要而复杂的关系，这可以用来为受艾滋病毒和性传播感染影响较大的非洲裔美国农村社区制定基于信仰的减少风险干预措施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): HIV and STIs are disproportionately affecting African American communities, especially in the South. Drug use is a major contributing factor to the increased HIV risk experienced by many African Americans. Stimulant use in particular has been associated with increased participation in high-risk sexual behaviors such as inconsistent condom use, multiple sexual partners, and trading sex for drugs and money. This puts African American cocaine users at tremendous risk of HIV transmission. Theory-based culturally-tailored risk reduction interventions are necessary to effectively address HIV risk in this vulnerable yet underserved population. Studies have found that faith-based interventions are particularly effective and well-received among at-risk African Americans because of strong cultural and personal connections to religion and religious institutions, particularly among African Americans living in the Southern U.S. In addition, studies have shown that certain dimensions of religion are associated with decreased participation in risky behaviors such as drug use and unsafe sex practices, especially among African Americans. Yet, little research has been done to examine not only the association between sexual risk and religion but also the intrapersonal and interpersonal mechanisms that underlie this association. Through the use of correlation statistics, multivariate regressions, and path analyses the proposed study aims to investigate Social Cognitive Theory-based pathways through which religion affects sexual risk within a unique sample of African American cocaine users living in the rural South. Using supplementary assessments of baseline data gathered through the parent study, Reducing Sexual Risk among Rural African American Cocaine Users (1R01DA024575-01), the proposed study aims to test study hypotheses and explore the extent to which the social-cognitive mediators explain and do not explain the hypothesized associations. The specific aims of the proposed study are to; (1) test several pathways that could account for the relationships among various religion constructs, SCT-based constructs, and sexual risk behaviors, and (2) examine important potential moderators and covariates that could influence these pathways and have important implications for intervention development. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed study is both significant and innovative because of its exploration of inter- and intrapersonal pathways through which religion may influence sexual risk, its application of health behavior theory to religion-health research, and its incorporation of an understudied at-risk population. The results from this study will provide researchers with improved understanding of the important yet complex relationship between religion and sexual risk, which could be used to develop theoretical faith-based risk reduction interventions for rural African American communities that are disproportionately affected by HIV and STIs.