Church Attendance as a Predictor of Number of Sexual Health Topics Discussed Among High-Risk HIV-Negative Black Women

Religion and HIV Risk Among Male Market Vendors in Kazakhstan

This study examines associations between religion and sexual HIV risk among 1342 male migrant and non-migrant market vendors in Kazakhstan. In the multivariate analysis, religious influence was associated with a lower likelihood of having multiple partners. Regular attendance was associated with a lower likelihood of having anal sex with a male partner, but with increased likelihood of having multiple partners. Spending time socially with friends at a mosque or church was associated with lower risk of anal sex with a male partner and lower risk of unprotected sex.

"Not in My House": Perspectives on HIV/AIDS of Afro-Caribbean Adolescents Living in South Florida

Florida has the highest number of PLWH in the USA, with the highest incidence being among young African-Americans. The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to gain an understanding of the knowledge and attitudes to HIV/AIDS among Afro-Caribbean adolescents. Using a faith-based community, we conducted four focus group sessions with 40 Afro-Caribbean teens. Descriptive content and thematic analyses were used to examine the data. Themes identified include awareness gap, temptation everywhere, testing anxiety and stigma. Recommendations include continued exploration and interventions to address stigma in faith-based communities. Implications are discussed.

Spiritual interventions for preventing HIV/AIDS in Iran

Developing health programs based on the beliefs and values of communities has a great impact. Given the priority and importance of AIDS and its transmission through high-risk sexual behaviors, we sought to design a religious/spiritual intervention for preventing AIDS. Relevant statements were extracted from the literature and spiritual/religion documents, and the study questions were reviewed by a modified Delphi consensus panel. The statements were arranged in four areas of recipients, main components, providers, and settings for spiritual interventions. Using the existing capacities for Islamic spiritual interventions to prevent and control AIDS requires the development of executive factors along with underlying factors, such as infrastructure and facilities for the provision of interventions. The results of this study can lay the groundwork for supplementary studies.

HIV-Related Communication and Safe Sex Practices among Heterosexual Black Men: A Qualitative Report

HIV prevention efforts have given limited attention to the influence of social norms on the process of communicating about safer sex practices among heterosexual Black men. To address this and inform the development of an HIV prevention behavioral intervention for heterosexual African American men, we conducted computerized, structured interviews with 61 men living in high HIV prevalence neighborhoods in New York City to participate in either one of the five focus group interviews and/or an in-depth qualitative interview. Participants had a mean age of 33 years, 25% held less than a high school education, 66% earned an annual income of $10,000 or less, and 86% had a history of incarceration Qualitative analysis was used to identify emergent themes within the domains of condom use communication, HIV status disclosure with sexual partners, and general HIV knowledge among peers. Thematic analyses revealed that communication was hindered by (1) low perception of risk of sex partners (2) relationship insecurities and (3) HIV stigma within the community and between sex partners. Most communication related to condom use was based on their perception of their sex partner's HIV risk and fear of contracting HIV and/or a partner's reaction to proposing or using condoms. Discussions related to HIV status elicited concerns of being labeled as HIV-positive or leading to unprotected sex. Communication among peers was rare due in part to the stigma of HIV in the Black community. Effective HIV interventions for heterosexual should include communication strategies that address the cultural norms that influence safe sex practices.

"Whosoever Looketh on a Person to Lust After Them": Religiosity, the Use of Mainstream and Nonmainstream Sexually Explicit Material, and Sexual Satisfaction in Heterosexual Men and Women

While previous research has generally found that religiosity is associated with negative attitudes toward sexually explicit material (SEM) and a lower frequency of SEM use, no studies have examined the relationship between SEM type and religiosity. In addition, it is unknown how the interrelations between religiosity and type and frequency of SEM use influence the relationship between SEM use and sexual satisfaction. Here, associations among a multi-item religiosity scale (consisting of measures of self-reported faith in God, religious services attendance, and the religiosity of the respondent's social network), SEM use, type of preferred SEM, and sexual satisfaction were explored using a large online sample of Croatian adults (N = 2,580). In both men and women, religiosity was associated with less frequent SEM use and more SEM-negative attitudes. Guilty feelings following SEM use and SEM-negative attitudes fully mediated the association between religiosity and SEM use among women and partially mediated the relationship for men. Religiosity was also negatively correlated with women's nonmainstream SEM use. For women, religiosity significantly moderated the association between SEM use and sexual satisfaction, as well as the relationship between nonmainstream SEM use and sexual satisfaction. In line with the erotic plasticity theory, the findings suggest that religiosity affects SEM use and related sexual satisfaction more substantially among women than men.