Beyond the ball: implications for HIV risk and prevention among the constructed families of African American men who have sex with men. AIDS Behav 2014 Nov;18(11):2156-68
Date
07/02/2014Pubmed ID
24980248Pubmed Central ID
PMC4198443DOI
10.1007/s10461-014-0836-6Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84919416132 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 26 CitationsAbstract
African American men who have sex with men (AAMSM) are disproportionately burdened by new and existing HIV infections. In spite of this, few HIV prevention interventions have been developed that meet the specific needs of AAMSM and that are culturally appropriate and build on strengths and resources. In this paper, we examine constructed families, including those who belong to houses and those who do not, from a three city sample of 196 AAMSM. Results show that the majority of AAMSM who belong to constructed families do not participate in houses or balls. Both house and non-house affiliated constructed families are important sources of social support among AAMSM. Participants reported limited success in spreading HIV messages at ball events, but talk about HIV within their constructed families. Social network approaches to HIV prevention may capitalize on existing social ties within constructed families to promote safer sexual behaviors.
Author List
Dickson-Gomez J, Owczarzak J, St Lawrence J, Sitzler C, Quinn K, Pearson B, Kelly JA, Amirkhanian YAAuthors
Yuri A. Amirkhanian PhD Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinJulia Dickson-Gomez PhD Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Jeffrey A. Kelly PhD Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Katherine Quinn PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Family Characteristics
Female
HIV Infections
Homosexuality, Male
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Middle Aged
United States
Young Adult
