PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ADAPTATION TO SEXUALLY ACQUIRED HIV AMONG WHITE AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEN

Although the research literature documents the Impact of social suppor t on the mental health of people with human immunodeficiency virus (HI V) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), the assumption that relationships between social support and mental health functioning av e comparable across ethnically distinct populations with HIV/AIDS has been challenged. This study reports preliminary data on the relationsh ip between perceptions of social support and mental health in a sample of African American and white men with sexually acquired HIV. Data fr om 33 respondents revealed considerable differences within the sample. Data from white men revealed strong positive relationships between me ntal health measures and social support from friends and family, where as data from African American men revealed negative relationships. Fur ther, measures of social support seem to adequately reflect the suppor t systems of white men but not those of African American men. Implicat ions of these and additional findings for research and practice ave co nsidered.