title: Social support, psychological vulnerability, and HIV risk among African American men who have sex with men.
abstract: Previous research has suggested a need to understand the social-psychological factors contributing to HIV risk among African American men who have sex with men (MSM). We conducted individual in-depth interviews with 34 adult African American MSM to examine their personal experiences about: (i) sources of social support, (ii) psychological responses to the presence or absence of social support and (iii) influences of social support on sexual behaviours. The majority of participants described limited positive encouragement and lack of emotional support from family, as well as few meaningful personal relationships. Feelings of isolation and mistrust about personal relationships led many participants to avoid emotional intimacy and seek physical intimacy through sexual encounters. Findings highlight a need for multilevel interventions that enhance social support networks and address the social-psychological, emotional and interpersonal factors that contribute to HIV risk among African American MSM.
authors.affiliation: a Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training (CHEST) , Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) , New York , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Lena D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.affiliation: b Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Division of Infectious Diseases , The Miriam Hospital , Providence , RI , USA.
authors.forename: Jacob J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.affiliation: c Department of Sociology and Anthropology , Northeastern University , Boston , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.affiliation: d School of Public Health , Brown University , Providence , RI , USA.
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Operario
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012306:Risk; D012944:Social Support; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: African American; MSM; mental health; qualitative; social support