title: Agents of change: peer mentorship as HIV prevention among HIV-positive injection drug users.
abstract: This paper presents a qualitative investigation of peer mentoring among HIV seropositive injection drug users in a randomized controlled trial, the INSPIRE study. Qualitative analyses of 68 in-depth open-ended interviews conducted in 2005 in Baltimore, New York, Miami, and San Francisco revealed that these individuals conceptualized themselves as change agents through the identity of peer mentor at the three related domains of individual, interpersonal, and community-level change. Implications for program development and future research of peer mentoring as a mechanism for HIV prevention are discussed. This study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
authors.affiliation: Health Equity Institute, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California 94132, USA. smackenz@sfsu.edu
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Frye
authors.forename: Cynthia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Mary H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Latka
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Purcell
authors.forename: Amy R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Knowlton
authors.forename: Lisa R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Metsch
authors.forename: Karin E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Tobin
authors.forename: Eduardo E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Valverde
authors.forename: Kelly R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Knight
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055030:Drug Users; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors; D008875:Middle Aged; D010379:Peer Group; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population