My career goal is to become an independent investigator in the social context of health and illness, working primarily with marginalized groups (e.g., drug users, minorities, economically 'disadvantaged'persons). During the fellowship period, I will pursue an MPH degree in epidemiology, acquiring knowledge and experience in research design, statistical analyses, and the social aspects of drug use. The coursework, training, and research skills I will acquire during this fellowship will provide a solid theoretical and methodological framework for future research. For my research project, I will investigate the association between inner-city African-American drug users'close relationships and their HIV risk behaviors. It is widely recognized that an individual's social environment influences personal behaviors that affect health outcomes, and close, interpersonal relationships are an essential component of that environment. Close relationships are especially relevant to HIV risk since it is transmitted through intimate activities such as sexual intercourse and injecting drug use. Yet while it is well known that these behaviors increase the risk of HIV transmission, few researchers have examined how the psychosocial aspects of sexual, drug-sharing and other close relationships (e.g., family members, friends) provoke healthful or risk behaviors. To address this complex issue, I will conduct research among adult drug users residing in predominantly African- American neighborhoods in Houston, Texas. I will implement a mixed-methods research design with two distinct phases of data collection and analysis. In the qualitative phase of the study, I will elicit narratives on close relationships from twenty drug users to learn more about their expectations and practices in their relations with sex partners, family members, and other drug users. After a detailed narrative analysis, I will generate hypotheses and select / create measures to examine a broader sample of drug users'close relationships. In the subsequent quantitative phase of research I will survey 150 drug users, collecting data on their relationship characteristics, psychological functioning, behaviors, and the social environment (e.g., role expectations, government policies, neighborhood conditions) in which these relationships unfold. Statistical analyses will focus on testing the hypotheses, using multivariate regression and structural equation modeling to investigate the associations between drug users'close relationships and HIV risk behaviors. The findings from this study will add to our knowledge of HIV risk, drug use, and social relations among minority, inner-city residents. Such information will be useful in developing innovative intervention strategies for HIV prevention and drug treatment.
