Association of Adolescent- and Parent-Reported Relationship Functioning with HIV Sexual Risk Among Adolescents in Botswana.

Globally, adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are the youth most affected by HIV. Parent-adolescent relationships can be protective in child and adolescent development and may be implicated in lowered adolescent HIV sexual risk. However, the importance of parental and adolescent perceptions of their relationship and assessing the implications of family functioning in adolescents' risk for HIV or other sexually transmitted infections are not well established in the research literature. This dyadic study simultaneously assessed both parents' and adolescents' perceptions of family functioning and their relationships with adolescent sexual behaviors in Botswana. Seventy-two parent-adolescent dyads completed audio computer-assisted self-interview surveys. Surveys, independently completed by parents and their adolescent, assessed multiple indicators of their relationship and is the first such study in Botswana to collect the perspectives of both the parents and their adolescents. The results highlight significantly discrepant views of their relationships and revealed that the magnitude of those discrepancies was associated with greater adolescent HIV sexual risk behavior across multiple measures of family relationships. Parents' inaccurate perceptions of their adolescents' sexual activity were also associated with greater adolescent sexual risk. These findings elucidate the importance of improving parent-adolescent communications and relationships, which may subsequently assist in lowering adolescents' sexual risk for HIV and other negative sexual health outcomes.

Correlates of Sexual HIV Risk Among African American Men Who Have Sex With Men.

OBJECTIVES: We examined correlates of condomless anal intercourse with nonmain sexual partners among African American men who have sex with men (MSM). METHODS: We recruited social networks composed of 445 Black MSM from 2012 to 2014 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Cleveland, Ohio; and Miami Beach, Florida. Participants reported past-3-month sexual behavior, substance use, and background, psychosocial, and HIV-related characteristics. RESULTS: Condomless anal intercourse outside main concordant partnerships, reported by 34.4% of MSM, was less likely in the case of no alcohol and marijuana use in the past 30 days, and higher risk-reduction behavioral intentions. High frequency of condomless anal intercourse acts with nonmain partners was associated with high gay community participation, weak risk-reduction intentions, safer sex not being perceived as a peer norm, low condom-use self-efficacy, and longer time since most recent HIV testing. CONCLUSIONS: Condomless anal intercourse with nonmain partners among Black MSM was primarily associated with gay community participation, alcohol and marijuana use, and risk-reduction behavioral intentions.

Social Media Use and High-Risk Sexual Behavior Among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Three-City Study.

Black men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a disproportionate burden of human immunodeficiency (HIV) incidence in the United States. Little research has focused on the associations between social media use and sexual behavior among Black MSM. 205 Black MSM completed measures assessing social media use and sexual behaviors. Men spent an average of 34 h per week on social media sites. 53 % arranged sexual hookups online in the previous 3 months, and did so a mean of 10 times. Overall, users of social media and men who arranged sexual hookups online engaged in more risky behaviors than non-users and men who did not arrange sexual hookups online. However, partner-level data indicated that men engaged in fewer risky behaviors with partners met online compared to partners met in other ways such as at bars or through friends. Social media-based interventions designed to decrease HIV transmission among racial minority MSM are needed.

Situational, partner, and contextual factors associated with level of risk at most recent intercourse among Black men who have sex with men.

African American men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States bear a disproportionate burden of HIV infection and disease incidence. 178 Black MSM provided detailed situational information concerning their most recent act of anal intercourse (AI) with a male partner including condom use, partner characteristics, serostatus disclosure, and substance use. Participants completed scales assessing AIDS-related as well as broader contextual domains. Most recent AI acts occurred with same-race partners outside of main relationships. Over one-third of AI acts were unprotected, and almost half of the unprotected acts were not between known HIV-concordant partners. Nearly half of men reported substance use before sex. In a multiple regression analysis, unprotected AI with a partner not known to be concordant was predicted by low risk reduction intentions and indicators of a casual relationship. The findings highlight issues and partner contexts associated with risk for contracting HIV infection among Black MSM.

Beyond the ball: implications for HIV risk and prevention among the constructed families of African American men who have sex with men.

African American men who have sex with men (AAMSM) are disproportionately burdened by new and existing HIV infections. In spite of this, few HIV prevention interventions have been developed that meet the specific needs of AAMSM and that are culturally appropriate and build on strengths and resources. In this paper, we examine constructed families, including those who belong to houses and those who do not, from a three city sample of 196 AAMSM. Results show that the majority of AAMSM who belong to constructed families do not participate in houses or balls. Both house and non-house affiliated constructed families are important sources of social support among AAMSM. Participants reported limited success in spreading HIV messages at ball events, but talk about HIV within their constructed families. Social network approaches to HIV prevention may capitalize on existing social ties within constructed families to promote safer sexual behaviors.

Batswana Adolescents' Attitudes Toward Sex With Older Adults: Psychometric Properties of the Attitudes Toward Transactional Sex Scale.

A programmatic series of studies developed and evaluated the Attitudes toward Transactional Sex Scale (ATTS) to measure adolescents' attitudes toward engaging in a sexual encounter initiated by an older adult offering desired objects such as cell phone, clothes, cash, or car rides in exchange for sex. Qualitative interviews informed the initial item generation followed by a series of studies assessing the psychometric properties of the measure. Study 1 evaluated the ATTS in a sample of 186 Batswana adolescents and assessed the factor structure, item-to-whole correlations, internal consistency, and convergent validity. In Study 2, the ATTS was administered to a cross-validation sample (N = 387). Confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity, and internal consistency were consistent with the findings from the original sample. Discriminant validity was also assessed in Study 2. A subset of the sample (N = 119) completed the measure on two occasions and yielded satisfactory test-retest reliability. The resulting instrument appears to have sound psychometric properties and can be used to measure adolescents' attitudes toward accepting such adult sexual initiation that are implicated in the disproportionate burden of HIV among adolescents and young adults in sub-Saharan Africa. No existing measure with known psychometric properties has previously been available.

HIV/STI Risk Behavior of Drug Court Participants.

Drug abusing offenders have high rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). To date, the HIV/STI prevention needs of offenders in drug court programs have been ignored. This multi-method study employed interviews to assess drug court professionals' perceptions of the need for an HIV risk reduction intervention to be integrated into the services provided to drug court participants. Then, surveys were completed by 235 drug court participants to assess whether their sexual risk behaviors affirmed the need for such an intervention. The survey also assessed demographic characteristics, drug use prior to program entry, HIV knowledge, and condom attitudes. The relationship between duration in the drug court program and sexual risk behavior was also examined. Implications for the development and delivery of HIV risk reduction interventions within drug court programs are discussed.

MINIMIZING THE RISK OF PREGNANCY, SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES, AND HIV AMONG INCARCERATED ADOLESCENT GIRLS: Identifying Potential Points of Intervention.

Delinquent girls are at elevated risk for unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases when compared with non-delinquent peers. Participants-234 incarcerated female juveniles-completed demographic, individual, partner, peer, and family measures and were tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Disease rates were as follows: chlamydia (20%), gonorrhea (4%), and syphilis (1%). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis assessed the relationship of the predictor variable sets with sexual risk. Demographic and individual variables had the strongest associations with risk. Peer, partner, or family variables did not account for significant additional variance. The results suggest that an intervention could be delivered during the window of opportunity during the girls' incarceration, changing their knowledge, attitudes, and skills that are implicated in risky sexual behavior before they are released back into the community.

Health Risks of American Long-Distance Truckers: Results From a Multisite Assessment.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the general and sexual health of long-haul truck drivers in the United States. METHODS: Drivers were recruited from company sites and truck stops in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi. A sample of 266 drivers was assessed for lifestyle activities; body mass index and blood pressure were measured, and biologic samples were taken for cholesterol, diabetes, and sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV testing. RESULTS: The drivers in this study had higher levels of cholesterol and higher rates of smoking, obesity, and diabetes than the U.S average. STI/HIV infection rates were lower than the U.S. average. CONCLUSION: Long-haul truck driving is a stressful occupation with few opportunities for healthy living. Stress reduction, wellness programs, and better food and exercise options at truck stops should be adopted for the benefit of truckers and the safety of the driving public.

Gender Differences in Sexual and Reproductive Health Protective and Risk Factors of Batswana Adolescents: Implications for Parent and Adolescent Interventions.

Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa and in Botswana in particular continue to bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic. This analysis assessed gender differences among theory-based sexual and reproductive health protective and risk factors in a cross-sectional sample of 228 Batswana adolescents. Incongruence between preferred and actual sources of sexual information and several important gender differences in parent-adolescent relationships, psychosocial influences, and adolescent sexual behaviors were identified. Parents were the fourth most common source of information about sex; yet, over three-quarters of adolescents preferred to have parents teach them about sex. Boys reported more positive relationships with their parents and girls reported more positive attitudes toward transactional sex. Both boys and girls reported similarly low levels of parental monitoring, parental communication, and parental responsiveness, all of which are important protective factors. These findings suggest interventions should address these gender differences and consider offering parallel interventions for adolescents and their parents in Botswana.

Perceptions of key participants about Botswana adolescents' risks of unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV: Qualitative findings.

AIM: The qualitative research findings are reported on the perceptions of key participants in Botswana about adolescent sexuality problems and the feasibility (with suggestions) of an adolescent prevention intervention. METHODS: Twenty adult key participants who were selected through purposive sampling from schools and youth centers responded to open-ended questions during face-to-face individual in-depth interviews that were conducted between December, 2011 and January, 2012 in Gaborone, Botswana. RESULTS: The data were analyzed by using an inductive content analysis. Five major themes and 12 subthemes emerged from the interviews. The key participants discussed situations that exposed adolescents to HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy. They also discussed unsafe sexual practices, the consequences of unprotected sex, poor parent-adolescent communication on sexuality, and the need for a sexuality education program. CONCLUSION: Policy changes are needed to improve collaboration between adolescents, parents, teachers, and youth officers in order to address adolescent sexuality problems. Further research is needed to explore the ways in which to improve sexuality communication between these groups. The results of the study provide valuable information on the sexuality risks that expose adolescents to HIV, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections and the strategies for the prevention of these risks, thus informing targeted interventions for risk reduction for adolescents.

Peer referral for HIV case-finding among men who have sex with men.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a health department-based peer referral program for identifying previously undiagnosed cases of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM). DESIGN AND METHODS: Between 2002 and 2005, 283 MSM peer recruiters were enrolled in a public health program in King County, Washington, USA. Peer recruiters were enrolled from a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic, an HIV clinic, via media advertisements and through collaboration with community-based organizations (CBO). The peer recruiters underwent a brief training and were then paid US$ 20 for each peer they referred to be tested for HIV, STD and viral hepatitis. Peers were paid US$ 20 for being tested. The main outcome measure was the number of new cases of HIV identified and cost per case of HIV identified. RESULTS: Recruiters referred 498 peers for HIV, STD and hepatitis testing. Among 438 peers not previously diagnosed with HIV, 22 (5%) were HIV positive, of whom 18 received their HIV test results. Other infections were variably prevalent among tested peers: gonorrhea [23/307 (8%)], chlamydia [6/285 (2%)], syphilis [1/445 (0.2%)], hepatitis C [61/198 (31%)], surface antigen positive hepatitis B [8/314 (3%)]. Excluding the costs of testing for viral hepatitis and STDs other than HIV, the cost per new HIV case identified was US$ 4929. During the same period, the cost per new case of HIV detected through bathhouse-based HIV testing and through the county's largest CBO-based HIV testing program were US$ 8250 and US$ 11 481, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Peer referral is an effective means of identifying new cases of HIV among MSM.

Commercial sex work, drug use, and sexually transmitted infections in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The relationships between commercial sex work, drug use, and sexually transmitted infections (STI) in St. Petersburg, Russia were assessed using qualitative research methods and an examination of existing research, surveillance and epidemiology data. The rapid assessment methodology included in-depth qualitative interviews with key informants, naturalistic observations of commercial sex work and drug use sites, geo-mapping, and a critical review of the available surveillance, epidemiology, and sociological data. Patterns of commercial sex work and drug use in St. Petersburg are described. The existing surveillance data attributes infections to injected drug use over and above any other risk category. However, examination of the clinic and epidemiology data suggests that HIV infection may be increasing fastest among groups that are acquiring HIV through sexual transmission. Targeted screening studies of STI and HIV morbidity among populations that are not included in the surveillance algorithm are needed, such as commercial sex workers, street youth, and the homeless. Sexual history taking to better characterize the proportion of cases that result from sex between male partners would also be helpful.

Attitudes Toward HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) Among African American Men Who Have Sex With Men: Concerns Underlying Reluctance to Test.

Contemporary antiretroviral therapy (ART) can produce viral suppression of HIV, maintain health, and prevent onward HIV transmission from infected persons to their sexual partners, giving rise to the concept of treatment as prevention. Successful implementation of test-and-treat strategies rests on the early detection of HIV infection through voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) followed by entry and retention in care, ART initiation and adherence, and subsequent viral suppression. In the United States, African American men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a disproportionate burden of HIV and have high rates of undetected and untreated HIV infection. However, little research has examined racial minority MSM's views about HIV testing. In this study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 96 key informants knowledgeable about racial minority MSM as well as 100 African American MSM community members in Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Miami. Most men in the sample were aware of the availability of testing and knew testing locations, but many voiced great personal ambivalence about being tested, feared knowing their HIV status, expressed concern about stigma and loss of confidentiality, and held beliefs indicative of medical mistrust. Participants did not spontaneously cite benefits of being tested, risk reduction behavior changes made as a consequence of testing, nor the benefits of testing to get early medical care for HIV infection. There is a gap between the public health field's perception of testing benefits and the beliefs about testing held by racial minority MSM in this sample. To increase the desired outcomes from VCT for minority MSM, VCT promotion should address the concerns of African American MSM and underscore the benefits of early entry into medical care.

Correlates of internalized homonegativity among black men who have sex with men.

Black men who have sex with men (MSM) carry a disproportionate burden of HIV in the United States. Such disparities cannot be attributed to individual behavioral risk factors alone, prompting the exploration of social and contextual factors experienced by minority MSM. Societal homonegativity and the internalization of those attitudes by Black MSM may play an important role in understanding racial and ethnic disparities in HIV incidence and prevalence. This study explores the correlates of internalized homonegativity in a large multi-site sample of Black MSM. Findings reveal a number of significant contextual and psychosocial factors related to internalized homonegativity including religiosity, resilience, and gay community acculturation, which have important implications for HIV risk, HIV testing, and social and psychological wellbeing for Black MSM.

Sexually transmitted disease screening by United States obstetricians and gynecologists.

OBJECTIVE: To assess compliance with practice guidelines and to determine the extent of missed opportunities for sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention by describing screening practices of a national sample of obstetricians and gynecologists and comparing them to the practices of other specialists. METHODS: Physicians (n = 7300) in five specialties that diagnose 85% of STDs in the United States were surveyed. Obstetrics and gynecology (n = 647) was one of the five specialties. Besides providing demographic and practice characteristics, respondents answered questions about who they screen (nonpregnant females, pregnant females) and for which bacterial STDs (syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia). RESULTS: Responding obstetricians and gynecologists were most likely to be non-Hispanic white (75%), male (66%), and in their 40s (mode 43 years old). They saw an average of 90 patients per week during 47 hours of direct patient care. Approximately 95% practiced in private settings. Almost all (96%) screened some patients for at least one STD. Obstetricians and gynecologists screened women more frequently than other specialties, but no specialty screened all women or all pregnant women. CONCLUSION: Obstetricians and gynecologists screen women for STDs at a higher rate than other specialties represented in this study. Consistent with published guidelines, most obstetricians and gynecologists in our survey screened pregnant women for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Nonetheless, only about half of obstetricians and gynecologists screened nonpregnant women for gonorrhea or chlamydia, and fewer screen nonpregnant women for syphilis.

Reducing STD and HIV risk behavior of substance-dependent adolescents: a randomized controlled trial.

A randomized controlled trial assessed 3 interventions designed to increase safer sex behaviors of substance-dependent adolescents. Participants (N = 161) received 12 sessions of either a health information intervention (I only), information plus skills-based safer sex training (I + B), or the same experimental condition plus a risk-sensitization manipulation (I + M + B). The I + B and I + M + B conditions, as compared with the I only condition, (a) produced more favorable attitudes toward condoms; (b) reduced the frequency of unprotected vaginal sex; and (c) increased behavioral skill performance, frequency of condom-protected sex, percentage of intercourse occasions that were condom protected, and number of adolescents who abstained from sex. The intervention that included the risk-sensitization procedure was more resistant to decay. An unexpected finding was that the I + B and I + M + B conditions produced substantial increases in sexual abstinence.

STD care: variations in clinical care associated with provider sex, patient sex, patients' self-reported symptoms or high-risk behaviors, partner STD history.

Sexually transmitted diseases in the United States are frequently diagnosed by private, as well as public, physicians. However, we know little about the decision processes that physicians employ when faced with people who may or may not be infected. To address this gap, we compared physicians' responses to different patient vignettes to assess how variations in patients' presentations affect physicians' clinical behavior. We systematically varied reported symptoms, behavioral risk, partner STD, and sex of patients in 16 different vignettes, with one vignette randomly presented to each physician in a national survey. Physicians rated the likelihood of 12 clinical management actions they might take with the patient vignette presented. Responses varied with self-reported symptoms, high-risk behavior, and report of an STD infected partner such that female physicians were more attentive to sexual health, and all physicians were more likely to treat female patients aggressively, relative to their male patients. Overall behavior was broadly congruent with sound medical practice, although we discuss several caveats to this general statement.

A comparison of Web- with paper-based surveys of gay and bisexual men who vacationed in a gay resort community.

Internet Web page survey responses were compared with those collected using traditional paper-and-pencil strategies to assess relative inclusion of a geographically dispersed population and comparativeness in responses. Three hundred and seven gay or bisexual men who had vacationed in a particular gay community completed Web-based and 244 paper-and-pencil questionnaires. Each questionnaire contained the same wording and question order. More Internet respondents than paper reported bisexual identity, nonmetropolitan residence, greater numbers of nonmain male partners for unprotected anal intercourse, and alcohol use than did paper-and-pencil respondents. Few other differences were identified. Assessing the reach of survey distribution can add to our knowledge base of surveys fielded using the Internet. Similarly, examining the potential biases in modes of administering convenience surveys can assist researchers to select the survey data collection method most appropriate to their research goals and design studies to assess the effect of the methods that are used.

Factors associated with sexually transmitted disease clinic attendance.

Most people in the United States who are infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) do not attend STD clinics for treatment in spite of the low-cost efficacious treatment. We asked a clinic and a community sample about perceived benefits and problems of attending an STD clinic. Analyses yielded two treatment-oriented and two socially oriented, factors, which were also expressed in qualitative interviews. Further analyses suggested that treatment-oriented factors were more strongly associated with clinic attendance than were social factors, although respondents were more positive about expected quality of treatment than they were about retaining confidentiality. We suggest that implications of the results favor integrating STD care with other health care.