An investigation of a Situational Model of Risk for MSM

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的NRSA博士前奖学金计划旨在评估男性与男性发生性关系（MSM）的危险性行为的情景模型。该研究计划将侧重于确定差异和共同的预测因素/保护因素的性风险在不同样本的男男性接触者的年龄和种族。该项目的广泛目标是更好地了解影响男男性行为者危险性行为的变量，并揭示这一人群亚群之间新的艾滋病毒感染发生率的差异（即，基于年龄和种族/人种的亚组）。该项目的具体目标如下。目的1：确定导致MSM从事危险性行为的情境因素。目的二：描述艾滋病毒风险的基础过程中的发育差异。目的111：探索情境风险因素中的种族/民族差异。数据将从参与者收集具体到个人的性接触，以促进前瞻性的人内的情况分析的危险性行为。这种前瞻性的数据收集方法将有助于尽量减少潜在的偏见，在回忆的事件周围individual性接触。此外，调查情况（即，性风险的事件水平）预测因子有可能揭示风险的预测因子，这些风险的预测因子可能会被忽视，因为对多次性接触的预测变量进行更全面的测量。这项研究也将有助于更好地了解艾滋病毒感染的发病率上升的年轻男性与男性发生性关系（YMSM）和艾滋病毒/艾滋病的更大的流行率在黑人和拉丁美洲的男男性接触者之间的差异，帮助预测危险的性行为，在这些亚群的男男性接触者的情景变量。通过更好地了解这些变量，预测为什么YMSM和黑人和拉丁裔MSM似乎有更高的感染艾滋病毒的风险，研究人员，社区机构和临床医生将更好地预防这些MSM群体的危险性行为。在长期职业发展方面，博士前奖学金将帮助我发展必要的技能，以实现在学术研究机构从事研究科学家职业的更广泛目标。考虑到这一目标，培训计划将包括在Brian Mustanski博士的指导下进行研究方法，方案制定和生物统计学方面的教学培训，这对于成功完成拟议的调查以及追求我的长期职业目标至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed NRSA predoctoral fellowship program is aimed at evaluating a situational model of risky sexual behavior in men who have sex with men (MSM). The research program will focus on determining both differential and common predictors/protective factors of sexual risk in a diverse sample of MSM in terms of age and ethnicity. The broad goal of the project is to come to a better understanding of the variables that influence risky sexual behavior in MSM and to shed light on the disparities in the incidence rates of new HIV infection between subgroups of this population (i.e., subgroups based on age and race/ethinicity). The specific aims of the project are the following. Aim 1:Identify situational factors that contribute to MSM engaging in risky sexual behavior. Aim II: Characterize developmental differences in processes that underlie risk for HIV. Aim 111: Explore racial/ethnic differences in situational risk factors. Data will be collected from participants specific to individual sexual encounters in order to facilitate a prospective within-persons situational analysis of risky sexual behavior. This prospective approach to data collection will help to minimize potential bias in recall of the events surrounding inividual sexual encounters. Furthermore, investigating situational (i.e., event-level) predictors of sexual risk has the potential to reveal predictors of risk that may be overlooked by taking more global measures of predictor variables across multiple sexual encounters. This research will also help to better understand the rising incidence rates of HIV infection in young men who have sex with men (YMSM) and greater prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Black and Latino MSM by helping to differntiate between situational variables that predict risky sexual behavior in these subgroups of MSM. By better understanding the variables the predict why YMSM and Black and Latino MSM seem to be at higher risk for acquiring HIV, researchers, community agencies, and clinicians will be better informed in preventing risky sexual behavior in these groups of MSM. In terms of long-term career development, the predoctoral fellowship will aid me in developing the skills necessary to achieve the broader goal of pursuing a career as a research scientist in an academic research institution. With this goal in mind, the training program will consist of working under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Mustanski in pursuing didactic training in research methodology, protocol development and biostatistics that will be critical in successfully completing the proposed investigation as well as pursuing my long-term career goals.