Indiana University Network Science Institute (IUNI), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
Department of Health Administration, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, TX, USA.
AIDS Care. 2022 Jan;34(1):39-46. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2021.1913717. Epub 2021 Apr 15.
Black and Latina women are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. Despite existing research linking social networks and HIV risk among men who have sex with men (MSM) and other high-risk populations, little research has examined how ethnic/racial minority women's social networks shape HIV prevention and intervention targets. Using interviews with a sample of 165 predominantly Black and Latina-identifying women from a small city in the Western U.S., this research examines the relationship between egocentric network characteristics and HIV knowledge, attitudes, and testing history. Results reveal that network characteristics play a significant role in shaping HIV-related knowledge, prejudice, and testing intention but not HIV testing history. Individual-level factors like homelessness and perceptions of testing barriers are more salient for explaining testing behaviors than network characteristics. Intervention efforts to improve knowledge and reduce prejudice among Black and Latina women may benefit from mobilizing network ties.
黑人和拉丁裔女性不成比例地受到艾滋病毒/艾滋病的影响。尽管现有研究将社会网络与男男性行为者（MSM）和其他高危人群中的艾滋病毒风险联系起来，但很少有研究探讨少数民族女性的社会网络如何影响艾滋病毒预防和干预目标。本研究使用对来自美国西部一个小城市的 165 名主要为黑人和拉丁裔女性的样本进行的访谈，考察了以自我为中心的网络特征与艾滋病毒知识、态度和检测史之间的关系。结果表明，网络特征在塑造与艾滋病毒相关的知识、偏见和检测意愿方面起着重要作用，但对检测史没有影响。个体层面的因素，如无家可归和对检测障碍的看法，比网络特征更能解释检测行为。为了提高黑人和拉丁裔女性的知识水平和减少偏见，干预工作可能需要调动网络联系。
