Suchergebnisse

Recognizing that HIV transmission occurs within situated interactions between two or more people, prevention research has increasingly begun to focus on identifying the influence of situations and settings on the spread of HIV. Examination of the social geography of risk has emerged as a powerful tool for understanding where and among whom risky practices occur. In this regard, shooting galleries represent interactional territories where the normative expectations of participation within their spatial boundaries can both encourage and reinforce sex- and drug-related risky behavior. Indeed, research shows that those who inject in shooting galleries tend to be at a higher risk of transmitting HIV than those who inject elsewhere. Drawing upon data from a sample of 1,113 active injecting drug users, we examined the demographic and psychosocial factors that predict shooting gallery use. Next, we compared shooting gallery users with nonusers in terms of drug use, followed by an examination of differences in sex- and drug-related HIV risk behaviors. Then, we explored preventive practices that possibly differentiate those who use shooting galleries from those who do not. We end our analysis by discussing the implications of our results for HIV prevention and social policy.

Transition milestones (e.g., telling family members that one is transgender and beginning hormone treatments) are specific transition-related events in transgender persons' lives that demarcate what their life circumstances were before versus after the milestone was reached. This article examines the relationship between transition milestones and psychological distress in a large sample of transgender adults. Data from the 2015 U.S. National Transgender Survey were used to examine 11 specific transition milestones in a sample of 27,715 transgender Americans aged 18 or older. A majority (64.6%) of respondents reported that psychological distress had affected them "some" or "a lot." Along with nine of the demographic measures and 13 of the support/discrimination measures, nine of the 11 transition milestones under study were found to be related to psychological distress levels. Reaching specific transition milestones plays an important role in many transgender adults' lives and may be highly beneficial in helping them to reduce psychological distress.

Relying upon a sample of 283 young adult ecstasy users, this research examines three primary research questions: How high/low are young adult ecstasy users' levels of condom use self-efficacy? How does condom use self-efficacy relate to actual condom use in this population? What factors underlie condom efficacy levels in this population? The study entailed face-to-face interviews that were completed with the use of computer-assisted structured interviews (i.e., CASI). Study participants were recruited in the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area between August 2002 and August 2004 using a targeted sampling and ethnographic mapping approach. Interviews took approximately two hours to complete. Condom use self-efficacy levels were found to be fairly high in this population. A strong, direct relationship was observed between condom use self-efficacy and actual condom use. Using a multiple regression approach, five factors were found to be predictive of greater condom use self-efficacy in this population. These were educational attainment, amount of communication in one's family of origin, having asked about one's most recent casual sex partner's HIV serostatus, no prior drug treatment, and level of self-esteem.