The focus of this proposed 42-month, qualitative renewal project (competing continuation) is to extend our on-going research Club Drugs, Dance Events and Asian American Youth (CDA) by focusing specifically on Asian American men who have sex with men (AAMSM). Patterns of heightened levels of drug use among MSM (compared to their heterosexual peers) in the CDA project lead us to focus on this sub-population as one of particular concern. Although this renewal project will build on our existing research, and will specifically compare drug using patterns and processes with the CDA parent project, the proposed project is a separate endeavor with a significant change in focus. We will focus on the following research questions: 1.) What are the patterns, variations and combinations of club drug use among AAMSM and how do they compare with the larger Asian American sample in the CDA project? 2.) What are the social processes of club drug use, including initiation, motivation, rituals, and perceptions among young AAMSM in the club/party scenes in the San Francisco Bay Area? 3.) What is the relationship between young AAMSM club-drug use and HIV/sexual risk behaviors? 4.) What are the various social contexts in which young AAMSM use club drugs and how do these contribute to patterns of drug use and risky behavior 5.) What is the relationship between constructions of sexual and ethnic identities and drug-use or sexual-risk practices and beliefs? We will locate and interview 240 young AAMSM, age 18-30, who have used one or more club drugs, three or more times in the previous 6 months. The sample will be subdivided into 1/3 foreign-born and 2/3 American-born AAMSM. We have also established flexible recruitment targets for respondents on the basis of the ethnonational composition of the San Francisco Bay Area Asian American population as a whole. However, after an initial mapping of participation in the scene, the sampling frame will be modified to reflect the population of AAMSM involved in the club scene. We will use primarily qualitative methods, including ethnographic observation, and key-informant and in-depth interviewing. Interviews will include a structured questionnaire to gather sociodemographic and key quantitative data, and an open-ended, semi-structured schedule to provide detailed narrative information. Analysis will consist of mixed methods appropriate to the various types of data collected. This project is important because Asian American MSM are an understudied population, and one that may be at great risk for both drug use and for HIV/sexually transmitted infections. The project can contribute to existing research through its analysis of intersections of ethnicity, sexuality, and drug consumption and its emphases on culture, identity, and social context - all understudied issues in the extant literature.

Public Health Relevance

This qualitative research project will provide much-needed empirical information about the extent and social context of club drug use by young Asian American men who have sex with men (MSM). Findings from this project will provide information regarding the relationships between their drug use, their identities as young Asian American men, and their sexual identities, sexual practices, and risks of exposure to HIV. This study's findings will be published in forms appropriate for the following audiences: people who work in drug abuse and HIV treatment, prevention and intervention programs;social scientists;and clinicians and other representatives from the broader biomedical community.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DA014317-11
Application #
8415921
Study Section
Community Influences on Health Behavior (CIHB)
Program Officer
Lambert, Elizabeth
Project Start
2001-09-01
Project End
2014-12-31
Budget Start
2013-01-01
Budget End
2014-12-31
Support Year
11
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$315,301
Indirect Cost
$103,547
Name
Scientific Analysis Corporation
Department
Type
DUNS #
044875854
City
San Francisco
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94107
Hunt, Geoffrey; Kolind, Torsten; Antin, Tamar (2018) Conceptualizing ethnicity in alcohol and drug research: Epidemiology meets social theory. J Ethn Subst Abuse 17:187-198
Hunt, Geoffrey; Moloney, Molly; Fazio, Adam (2014) ""A cool little buzz"": alcohol intoxication in the dance club scene. Subst Use Misuse 49:968-81
Joe-Laidler, Karen; Hunt, Geoffrey; Moloney, Molly (2014) 'Tuned Out or Tuned In': Spirituality and Youth Drug Use in Global Times. Past Present 222:61-80
Moloney, Molly; Hunt, Geoffrey P (2012) Consumption, drugs and style: Constructing intra-ethnic boundaries in Asian American youth cultures. Drugs (Abingdon Engl) 19:462-473
Hunt, Geoffrey; Moloney, Molly; Evans, Kristin (2011) ""HOW ASIAN AM I?"" ASIAN AMERICAN YOUTH CULTURES, DRUG USE, AND ETHNIC IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION. Youth Soc 43:274-304
Fazio, Adam; Hunt, Geoffrey; Moloney, Molly (2011) ""It's one of the better drugs to use"": perceptions of cocaine use among gay and bisexual Asian American men. Qual Health Res 21:625-41
Hunt, Geoffrey; Moloney, Molly; Fazio, Adam (2011) Embarking on large-scale qualitative research: reaping the benefits of mixed methods in studying youth, clubs and drugs. Nordisk Alkohol Nark 28:433-452
Fazio, A; Joe-Laidler, K; Moloney, M et al. (2010) GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND ETHNICITY AS FACTORS OF CLUB DRUG USE AMONG ASIAN AMERICANS. J Drug Issues 40:405-432
Hunt, Geoffrey P; Bailey, Noelani; Evans, Kristin et al. (2009) COMBINING DIFFERENT SUBSTANCES IN THE DANCE SCENE: ENHANCING PLEASURE, MANAGING RISK AND TIMING EFFECTS. J Drug Issues 39:495-522
Hunt, Geoffrey; Moloney, Molly; Evans, Kristin (2009) EPIDEMIOLOGY MEETS CULTURAL STUDIES: STUDYING AND UNDERSTANDING YOUTH CULTURES, CLUBS AND DRUGS. Addict Res Theory 17:601-621

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