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. 2020 Jan;24(1):222-232.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-019-02646-x.

Individual and Social Network Correlates of Sexual Health Communication Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Jaih B Craddock  1 , Anamika Barman-Adhikari  2 , Katie Massey Combs  2 , Anthony Fulginiti  2 , Eric Rice  3
Affiliations

Individual and Social Network Correlates of Sexual Health Communication Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Jaih B Craddock et al. AIDS Behav. 2020 Jan.

Abstract

Despite the potential for sexual health communication to be leveraged for HIV prevention among youth experiencing homelessness (YEH), there has yet to be a rigorous examination of individual and network or relational characteristics associated with sexual health communication in this group of young people. Cross-sectional survey and social network data from 1014 YEH aged 14-25 recruited in Los Angeles, California, were utilized to assess individual and network or relational characteristics associated with communication regarding condom use and HIV testing among YEH. Results suggest that social networks are key to understanding sexual health communication; YEH's engagement in sexual health communication was significantly related to the composition of their networks. To increase testing and decrease new HIV cases, a prudent strategy would be to train existing social network members (e.g., staff members, home-based peers, or partners) as agents of change in naturally occurring social networks of YEH.

Keywords: HIV risk behaviors; Sexual health communication; Social networks; Youth experiencing homelessness.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

All the authors of this study have no conflict of interest to report.

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