title: A social-ecological perspective on power and HIV/AIDS with a sample of men who have sex with men of colour.
abstract: This paper applies a social-ecological theory of power to posit that individual HIV-related vulnerability stems from how power is leveraged across situations over time. The current study identified six power domains and explored how the interchangeability of power shapes HIV-related vulnerability among men who have sex with men of colour. Data were collected as part of a mixed-methods study on the social networks and experiences of racial/ethnic and sexual minority status. A total of 35 Asian/Pacific Islander, Black and Latino men who have sex with men were recruited and individual in-depth interviews were conducted. Results showed that men who have sex with men of colour actively traded upon various domains to alter their relative power within a given situation. Results suggest that power interchangeability, or the degree to which power from one domain can be leveraged to gain power in another, may shape HIV-related vulnerability. Findings offer a dynamic understanding of the nature of HIV risk as derived from everyday power exchanges and provide theoretical foundation for future work on individual resilience against HIV-related risks over time.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies , University of California San Francisco , San Francisco , USA.
authors.forename: Judy Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Felicia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pratto
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Kyung-Hee
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008571:Men / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D044468:Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult