Session: Studying Interpersonal Influences On HIV Risk Among Men Who Have Sex with Men: Dyads, Networks, and Cultures (Society for Prevention Research 21st Annual Meeting)

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are substantially impacted by HIV/AIDS in the United States. In 2008, MSM accounted for 61% of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the U.S., despite the fact that gay men are estimated to represent 2-4% of the general population. Currently, MSM are the only risk group in which rates of new infections are increasing, while rates of new infections have declined in heterosexuals and injection drug users. In the absence of a vaccine or other bio-medical approach that durably prevents HIV acquisition, it continues to be important to identify risk factors that can be addressed through structural or behavioral interventions. Although recent findings suggest that primary chemoprophylaxis and treatment as prevention can decrease HIV transmission, antiretroviral treatment is not a substitute for the promotion of safer sexual practices.

The bulk of the literature on sexual risk behavior in MSM has tended to focus on individual-level factors, such as behavioral predictors of risk (e.g., alcohol and substance use). While this approach has yielded some important targets for intervention, recent research suggests that risk for HIV infection is influenced by multiple socioecological systems beyond individual behavior, including couples/dyads, culture, and sexual networks. In line with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, these presentations seek to identify innovative targets for HIV prevention that address risk in the contexts in which MSM exist in order to optimize engagement of HIV risk reduction.

Presenter 1 will present longitudinal data on gay male couples examining the influence of relationship dynamics and sexual agreements on the likelihood of having unprotected sex with partners outside of the dyad.  Presenter 2 will present data on the influence of race-based sexual stereotypes on sexual risk behavior in a longitudinal sample of young men who have sex with men.  Presenter 3 will present findings from a social network study of ethnically diverse young men who have sex with men, focused on the social support, substance use, and sexual networks of these young men. Finally, the discussant for this symposium will synthesize findings across all three presentations.  Discussant will also facilitate discussion focused on translating empirical findings into interventions that address risk at the dyadic, cultural and sexual network levels.