Young Lindsay E, Michaels Stuart, Jonas Adam, Khanna Aditya S, Skaathun Britt, Morgan Ethan, Schneider John A
Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, Chicago, USA.
University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, USA.
AIDS Behav. 2017 Oct;21(10):2924-2934. doi: 10.1007/s10461-017-1679-8.
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.
艾滋病病毒预防项目通常将重点放在男男性行为者（MSM）经常光顾的实体社交场所，这些场所被认为是性行为发生的地点且存在感染风险。但是，这些行为究竟如何影响人们对场所的光顾，目前还不太清楚。在本研究中，我们进行了一项双模式网络分析，以确定三种性行为类型——无保护性行为、性行为与吸毒、群交——在年轻黑人男男性行为者（YBMSM）（N = 623）样本群体中对不同类型社交场所光顾情况的影响程度。在一项概念验证分析中，我们使用了一种名为指数随机图模型的网络分析技术，以验证每种性行为在被估计为以下两种情况时如何增加场所光顾联系的可能性：（1）仅作为个体的一个属性和/或（2）个体与其同伴之间的共享属性。研究结果表明，当仅将性行为建模为目标个体所拥有的属性时，其对社交场所光顾选择的影响并无增减。然而，当也考虑同伴的性行为时，我们发现，在所有三种行为情况下，个体在统计学上更有可能前往吸引其他有相同行为的男男性行为者的场所。这表明，社交场所可以作为一种中介环境，鉴于场所对具有相同风险倾向的人的吸引力，在有更大风险潜力的个体之间形成关系。因此，围绕这些场所构建干预措施可能是吸引年轻黑人男男性行为者并促使他们参与艾滋病病毒预防的有效方式。
