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不成比例地影响非洲裔美国人社区，特别是在南方。吸毒是导致许多非裔美国人艾滋病毒感染风险增加的一个主要因素。特别是兴奋剂的使用与高风险性行为的参与增加有关，如不一致的避孕套使用，多个性伴侣，以及以性换取毒品和金钱。这使得非裔美国可卡因使用者面临艾滋病毒传播的巨大风险。有必要采取基于理论的文化定制的降低风险干预措施，以有效应对这一脆弱但得不到充分服务的人群中的艾滋病毒风险。研究发现，基于信仰的干预措施在处于风险中的非洲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着强烈的文化和个人联系，特别是在生活在美国南部的非洲裔美国人中。尤其是在非裔美国人中。然而，很少有研究不仅研究性风险和宗教之间的关联，而且研究这种关联背后的内在和人际机制。通过使用相关性统计，多元回归和路径分析，拟议的研究旨在调查社会认知理论为基础的途径，通过宗教影响性风险在一个独特的样本非洲裔美国人可卡因使用者生活在农村南部。使用通过母研究收集的基线数据的补充评估，降低农村非洲裔美国人避孕药使用者的性风险（1 R 01 DA 024575 -01），拟议的研究旨在测试研究假设，并探讨社会认知中介解释和不解释假设的关联的程度。拟议研究的具体目标是：（1）测试几种途径，可以解释各种宗教结构，基于SCT的结构和性风险行为之间的关系，（2）检查重要的潜在调节因子和协变量，可能会影响这些途径，并对干预措施的发展具有重要意义。公共卫生相关性：拟议的研究是重要的和创新的，因为它的探索间和内在的途径，通过宗教可能会影响性风险，其应用健康行为理论的宗教健康研究，并纳入一个未充分研究的风险人群。这项研究的结果将使研究人员更好地了解宗教与性风险之间重要而复杂的关系，这可用于为受艾滋病毒和性传播感染影响不成比例的农村非洲裔美国人社区制定理论上基于信仰的风险降低干预措施。

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.