Research
The center’s research endeavors have been funded almost exclusively by NIH grants. The experience of living with HIV as a chronic illness, the psychosocial challenges facing sexual minorities, the health risks associated with disengagement from medical care, and the ways in which new technologies are influencing the development of intimate relationships and sexual risk behaviors are topics the center’s research team has being exploring over the past five years.
Recent Projects
Impact of Receiving Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic Risk Information Among Latinos in Northern Manhattan (Ideal Study)
Funding source: National Institute of Aging
Principal Investigators: Ruth Ottman and Karolynn Siegel
Study goals: APOE remains the strongest genetic predictor of risk for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD). Given the high level of interest in genetic susceptibility testing among both relatives of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and the general population, availability of direct-to-consumer testing for APOE, and major prevention trials targeting persons at high genetic risk, the demand for pre-symptomatic testing for APOE will surely increase. Improved understanding of the impacts of testing, sources of variability in response, and inclusion of diverse samples are critical for informing methods to promote safe and effective disclosure of Alzheimer’s disease genetic risk information. The goal of this NIMHD funded mixed-methods study is to investigate the impact of learning information about one’s risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Participants will be Latino residents of 3 Manhattan neighborhoods.
Acceptability of HIV Treatment As Prevention Among MSM
Funding source: National Institute of Minority Health and Disparities
Principal Investigators: Etienne Meunier and Karolynn Siegel
Study goals: In recent years, treatment as prevention (TasP) has emerged as an effective HIV prevention strategy that could have multiple public health benefits. However, TasP will only fulfill its promises if people at risk accept it as an effective and reliable prevention strategy. Unfortunately, recent data show that although there seems to be high awareness of TasP among MSM, few seem to believe in its efficacy or to be willing to rely on it. To inform the development of interventions to address barriers to TasP acceptability among MSM, this mixed-methods NIMHD funded study investigates the awareness, perceived effectiveness, willingness to use, and actual use of TasP among MSM in New York City.
Exchange Sex and HIV Risk Among MSM Online
Funding source: National Institute of Minority Health and Disparities
Principal Investigators: Karolynn Siegel and Eric Schrimshaw
Study goals: For men who have sex with men (MSM) and engage in exchange sex (i.e., offer sex in exchange for money, drugs, shelter, or goods), hookup and dating apps and websites have transformed how they meet and negotiate with potential clients. Scholars have recently suggested that the apps/websites have become a common venue for—and possibly even a pathway into—exchange sex. The goal of this mixed-methods study is to understand how gay hookup apps/websites have transformed exchange sex (i.e., sex work) among MSM and impacted their HIV risk behaviors.
Online Partnering of Heterosexuals and HIV Risk
Funding source: National Institute of Mental Health
Principal Investigators: Karolynn Siegel and Helen-Maria Lekas
Study goals: With the proliferation of online dating and hook-up sites, concerns have been raised that the Internet may be a risk environment for HIV/STI. The goal of this project is to examine the ways in which the internet facilitates risky sexual pursuits and the establishment of casual or ongoing sexual relationships among heterosexuals. Two main areas of interest are: first, the use of heuristics and on- and off-line strategies heterosexuals use to assess the potential risk of engaging in sex with a partner met online, and second, the identification of the features of meeting prospective partners online that promote unsafe encounters. The study also aims to refine the Theory of Sexual Scripts by generating a theory of sexual cyberscripting. Data was collected online and through telephone interviews.
Understanding Discontinuation of Care Among HIV-Positive Inpatients
Funding source: National Institute of Mental Health
Principal Investigators: Helen-Maria Lekas and Lisa Metsch
Study goals: Engagement in outpatient care is critical component of the HIV care continuum. The goal of this project is to identify the barriers patients confront in engaging with and remaining in HIV outpatient medical care. Focusing on hospitalized patients that have not consistently received medical care, this primarily qualitative investigation reveals how the interplay between structural constraints/opportunities and life choices shape the patients’ health practices, lifestyles and ultimately, morbidity and mortality. The two most innovative features of this project are the collection of data through bedside interviews and the use of Cockerham’s Theory of Health Lifestyle to frame the data collection and analysis.