title: Social responsibility, substance use, and sexual risk behavior in men who have sex with men.
abstract: Considerable public health literature focuses on relationships between problematic human characteristics (e.g., psychopathology) and unhealthy behaviors. A recent movement termed positive psychology emphasizes the advantages of assessing relationships between human strengths (e.g., altruism) and beneficial health behaviors. The present study assessed social responsibility, an orientation to help or protect others even when there is nothing to be gained as an individual, and its relationship to HIV-relevant behaviors. In our sample of 350 men who have sex with men (MSM), social responsibility was negatively correlated with substance use and HIV risk behaviors. Men who had been tested for HIV and knew their HIV status-a behavior that helps men protect their partners but does not protect themselves from the virus-also scored higher in social responsibility. Interventions designed to reduce HIV risk behavior in MSM may benefit from efforts to promote human strengths.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond , Virginia , USA.
authors.forename: Aaron M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Eric G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Benotsch
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cejka
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luckman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000523:psychology; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012941:Social Responsibility; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult