- HIV is disproportionately impacting African Americans in this country, specifically men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexual women. Recent public health and media attention has been given to behaviorally bisexual Black men who may serve as a potential """"""""bridge"""""""" of transmission between the Black heterosexual female and MSM communities. To date, however, there is little information on this subpopulation of Black MSM and the dynamics that influence HIV sexual risk in their daily lives. This study's broad term objectives are to qualitatively explore and discover: 1) The specific social context influencing the lives of behaviorally bisexual Black men; 2) The varied influences on patterns of social and partner disclosure of their same-sex behavior; and 3) The factors influencing their sexual risk with both Female and male sexual partners. For this purpose, 60 Black men who are currently behaviorally bisexual (both HIV-positive and HIV-negative) will be recruited in Atlanta, Georgia, and will undergo semi-structured interviews regarding their lives and the unique forces that influence potential sexual risk and HIV transmission for themselves and their sexual partners. Relevance - This project is particularly relevant to public health as it will provide essential information on the demographic, social and behavioral aspects of sexual transmission of HIV among a subpopulation of the Black community that has been relatively understudied to this point. Specifically, it will fill gaps in the current HIV literature and knowledge, given the high HIV prevalence among Black MSM and Black heterosexual women, the speculation that behaviorally bisexual Black men are important factors in the linking of these two epidemics, and the lack of formative research specifically addressing this group of men. The information gained from this study will be invaluable in informing future quantitative research efforts for this population, as well as guiding the development of current HIV prevention interventions for this group of men and the entire Black community. ? ? ?
| Malebranche, David J; Arriola, Kimberly Jacob; Jenkins, Tyrrell R et al. (2010) Exploring the ""bisexual bridge"": a qualitative study of risk behavior and disclosure of same-sex behavior among black bisexual men. Am J Public Health 100:159-64 |
