The competing continuation proposal seeks support for the data analysis phase of an ongoing program of research, a national study of sexual behavior and HIV-related risk among Black gay and bisexual men. Although 27% of reported AIDS cases have occurred in Blacks and it has been estimated that Blacks may have a Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection rate three times that of the Whites, very little is known about sexual behaviors of AIDS-related risk reduction strategies of Black gay and bisexual men. The first phase of this project involved extensive protocol development and the collection of data. Completion of this phase will result in two important data sets: 1> qualitative data gathered from focus groups conducted with Black gay and bisexual men at six sites including both low and high HIV incidence cities across the United States; 2> quantitative questionnaire data being collected from a large, nationally recruited sample of Black gay and bisexual men. At the present time support is requested to conduct in depth analyses of those two data sets collected. The proposed study seeks to identify psychosocial correlates of risk reduction among Black gay and bisexual men. Specifically, this research will 1> document patterns of sexual behavior, particularly as related to risk of HIV transmission in Black gay and bisexual men; 2> provide detailed information of AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and perception of risk, including knowledge of AIDS-related community resources and barriers to utilization of AIDS education and health care in this population; 3> seek to identify predictor of risk detection behaviors using social psychological models of attitude-behavior relationships; 4> examine methodological issues in the area of assessing ethnic minority populations and HIV-related behaviors including appropriate language and symbolism for sexual behaviors and their determinants. The focus of the research is on increasing knowledge of relationships among sexual orientation and sexual experience, socioeconomic status, social and emotional stress, psychiatric morbidity, and AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and high- risk behaviors.
