SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS OF MEN AT RISK FOR AIDS

Survey data collected in 1984-85 from a community sample of 637 gay an d bisexual men were used to determine the features of social relations hips that were most conducive to changes in both psychological health and AIDS-related sexual risk behavior. Multiple regression analyses sh owed that both the perceived availability of social support and the ab sence of conflicts in the social network were related to improve psych ological health. At the same time, the subjective experience of integr ation into social networks was associated with increased psychological distress, and validation (the experience of being accepted by others) was related to a higher level of risk activity. These findings are di scussed in terms of the social relationships among community members t hat share a common stressor-in this case the shared problem of being a t risk for AIDS.