What does racial discrimination have to do with HIV risk? Examining the relationship between racial discrimination, social support and sexual HIV risk among Black heterosexual men

BACKGROUND: We examined whether social support moderates the relationship between racial discrimination and sexual HIV risk among Black heterosexual men (BHM). METHODS: We recruited 578 BHM, age 18-45 (M=28.8 years) from venues (e.g., barber shops) in Philadelphia, PA to complete a computer survey that included the Day to Day Unfair Treatment Scale (DTD), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Support, and questions about condom use. We tested two models that hypothesized social support (from friends and significant others) moderated DTD in predicting unprotected vaginal sex (UVS). DTD, social support, and the DTD*social support interaction (controlling for demographics of age, marital status, employment status, and education level) were examined with a regression model. RESULTS: The first model that included social support from friends, was statistically significant, R2=.07, F5,484=5.83, P< .0001. The interaction term was statistically significant after controlling for demographic variables and main effect terms, B = -.06, p < .05, indicating that those with less perceived support from friends and higher racial discrimination experiences reported more UVS. The second model that included social support from significant others, was statistically significant, R2=.095, F5,484=7.84, P< .0001. The interaction term was statistically significant after controlling for demographic variables and main effect terms, B = -.07, p < .05, indicating that those with less perceived support from significant others and higher racial discrimination experiences reported more UVS. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that increase social support may be effective in decreasing the link between racial discriminations and sexual risk for BHM.