Risky Early Life Environment and Increased Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS Among Black MSM
Normanda Brown1, Tiarra McMillan2
1Mississippi INBRE Service Scholar, Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS
2My Brother's Keeper, Inc., Jackson, MS
Adverse childhood experiences are traumatic events that can result in the form of physical, emotional, or sexual violence that can increase health risks for HIV and STD transmission. African American Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV in Mississippi, where there has been a 38% rise in newly diagnosed HIV infections among this demographic. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to understand the factors that put African American MSM at an increased risk for acquiring HIV. An analysis of the Minority HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (MARI) was conducted in SPSS to understand the underlying factors that can contribute to an increased vulnerability to HIV. Questions analyzed the characteristics of home life, specifically regarding the presence of sexual abuse, and then cross tabulated with current HIV status to indicate whether environment was a contributor to an increase in vulnerability. Results show that MSM who were HIV positive experienced lesser forms of sexual abuse than those who were negative. The study reveals that most of the participants were hesitant to report these incidents with 59.2 percent not reporting the incident, 36.7 being HIV positive. The study and results reveal that sexual abuse was heavily prevalent in their homes. The study done on “Risky Early Life Environment” highlighted the underlying issue of all HIV positive participants- sexual abuse was heavily present in the home. Future research should focus on public health professionals developing more services for those affected by sexual abuse, specifically treating trauma from the environmental exposure. Acknowledgment: This work was funded by an Institutional Development Award(IDeA) from the NIGMS under grant number P20GM103476.