title: Sex Behaviors as Social Cues Motivating Social Venue Patronage Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex with Men.
abstract: HIV prevention programs often focus on the physical social venues where men who have sex with men (MSM) frequent as sites where sex behaviors are assumed to be practiced and risk is conferred. But, how exactly these behaviors influence venue patronage is not well understood. In this study, we present a two-mode network analysis that determines the extent that three types of sex behaviors-condomless sex, sex-drug use, and group sex-influence the patronage of different types of social venues among a population sample of young Black MSM (YBMSM) (N = 623). A network analytic technique called exponential random graph modeling was used in a proof of concept analysis to verify how each sex behavior increases the likelihood of a venue patronage tie when estimated as either: (1) an attribute of an individual only and/or (2) a shared attribute between an individual and his peers. Findings reveal that sex behaviors, when modeled only as attributes possessed by focal individuals, were no more or less likely to affect choices to visit social venues. However, when the sex behaviors of peers were also taken into consideration, we learn that individuals were statistically more likely in all three behavioral conditions to go places that attracted other MSM who practiced the same behaviors. This demonstrates that social venues can function as intermediary contexts in which relationships can form between individuals that have greater risk potential given the venues attraction to people who share the same risk tendencies. As such, structuring interventions around these settings can be an effective way to capture the attention of YBMSM and engage them in HIV prevention.
authors.affiliation: Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, Chicago, USA. lyoung1@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu.|University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, USA. lyoung1@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu.|, 5837 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago, IL, 60637, USA. lyoung1@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: Lindsay E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: NORC at University of Chicago, Chicago, USA.
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michaels
authors.affiliation: Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, Chicago, USA.|Threat Tec, LLC, Hampton, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jonas
authors.affiliation: Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, Chicago, USA.|University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, USA.
authors.forename: Aditya S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Khanna
authors.affiliation: Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, Chicago, USA.|University of Chicago Public Health Sciences, Chicago, USA.
authors.forename: Britt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Skaathun
authors.affiliation: Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, Chicago, USA.|University of Chicago Public Health Sciences, Chicago, USA.
authors.forename: Ethan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.affiliation: Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, Chicago, USA.|University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, USA.|University of Chicago Public Health Sciences, Chicago, USA.
authors.forename: John A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7870-5639
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Schneider
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D003463:Cues; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D060756:Social Networking; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Exponential random graph models; HIV prevention; Men who have sex with men; Sexual risk; Social networks; Social venues