Psychosocial Factors and HIV Prevention for Gay,Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men |
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| Authors: | David W. Pantalone Jae A. Puckett Hamish A. Gunn |
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| Affiliation: | 1. University of Massachusetts, Boston;2. Northwestern University |
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| Abstract: | We are more than 30 years into the HIV epidemic, and, although we have made many important scientific advances, there remains much to understand and implement to prevent new infections. The science of HIV prevention, although interdisciplinary, has relied heavily on psychological theories and research methods to address many key questions. In this paper, we briefly review some historical and epidemiologic considerations about the U.S. HIV epidemic and then present some key psychological concepts from HIV prevention. We make the case for continuing to focus efforts on gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, who represent the sociocultural group with the highest incidence and prevalence of HIV in the domestic epidemic. We present a summary of the research support for, and limitations of, the three major psychosocial models that predict HIV risk behaviors – the information–motivation–behavioral skills model, the minority stress model, and the syndemics framework. We discuss the use of these models in the development and testing of HIV prevention interventions and end by highlighting a few novel research areas, including bio‐behavioral approaches. |
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