Publications by authors named "Jason Bird"

Incarceration is considerably more prevalent among sexual and gender minority persons (SGM) than among the general population. Once behind bars, they are at the greatest risk for health-related harms. Although a growing number of studies have assessed health disparities produced by mass incarceration, scholars are yet to systematically assess the health consequences of incarceration on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

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Sea levels are projected to rise in response to climate change, causing the intrusion of sea water into land. In flat coastal regions, this would generate an increase in shallow water covered areas with limited circulation. This scenario raises a concern about the consequences it could have on human health, specifically the possible impacts on disease transmission.

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Professional social work has long been concerned with social justice, social policy, and the relationship between social treatment and social control. However, at times, potential threats to social cohesion become exaggerated in the service of supporting suppressive policies. British sociologist Stanley Cohen referred to such periods as moral panics, which assign unwarranted blame and stigma to sociopolitically weaker, unpopular groups.

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HIV remains an intractable public health concern in the USA, with infection rates notably concentrated among Black gay and bisexual men. Status disclosure by HIV-positive individuals can be an important aspect of risk reduction but doing so poses dilemmas concerning privacy, stigma and self-protection, especially among populations subjected to multiple types of stigmatisation. Understanding the factors related to the disclosure process can help to inform prevention efforts.

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Gay and bisexual men are at disproportionate risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. While prevention efforts often emphasize consistent condom use, there is growing evidence that men are using seroadaptive safer-sex strategies, such as serosorting and seropositioning. This qualitative analysis of 204 HIV-negative and HIV-positive gay and bisexual men explored the ways that a sexual partner's HIV status can influence safer-sex strategies and sexual decisions.

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Young, gay, and bisexual men (YGBM) are at increased risk of family rejection, which is related to HIV infection. What remains unknown is how family rejection leads to HIV risk. In this exploratory study, qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 HIV-positive YGBM aged 18 to 24.

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The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a health crisis among Black men who have sex with men (MSM). HIV-related stigma presents a primary barrier to sexual communication and effective HIV prevention. Using in-depth, qualitative interviews conducted with 20 HIV-positive Black MSM between 2007 and 2008 in Chicago, Illinois, we explored the themes related to HIV-related stigma and the underlying messages HIV-positive Black MSM receive regarding their status.

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Background: Access and adoption of HIV prevention information are important criteria for reducing HIV infection rates among men who have sex with men.

Methods: Using focus group data, researchers sought to identify sources of HIV prevention information and barriers to adopting protective behaviors among young African American men who have sex with men. Adolescents ages 18-24 were recruited for this study.

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Purpose: There is little research on the impact of role models on health outcomes for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. This exploratory study describes the presence and availability of LGBT-affirming role models, and examines the relationship between the accessibility of role models and health outcomes among a community-based sample of LGBT youth.

Methods: A convenience sample of 496 ethnically diverse, 16-24-year-old LGBT youth was recruited to complete a computer-assisted interview, using standardized instruments validated with adolescents.

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Research on subjective well-being indicates that it is associated with academic success and positive school functioning. Despite a wealth of empirical research demonstrating the benefits of interventions aimed at increasing middle and high school students' well-being, few educational institutions have adopted evidence-based curricula that address this construct as a means of promoting future academic and social achievement. In addition, numerous studies have begun to identify several factors that contribute to well-being and thus have helped children and adolescents to be successful in both academic and social domains.

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Little is known about ethnic differences in HIV-disclosure to sexual partners or the relationship between HIV-disclosure and sexual risk. Differences in HIV-disclosure rates between African-American and White men who have sex with men (MSM) were analyzed using data from the Treatment Advocacy Program. In general, the findings suggest that African-Americans are less likely than Whites to disclose their HIV status to sexual partners.

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This study explores community violence exposures among African American adolescents and whether coping strategies were gendered. In-depth interviews are conducted with a sample of 32 African American high school students. Data are analyzed using a thematic analysis.

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HIV/AIDS continues to disproportionately impact men who have sex with men (MSM). Advances in highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) have successfully helped HIV-infected individuals lead longer, healthier, and presumably more sexually active lives. Consequently, secondary prevention approaches aimed at reducing the rate of HIV transmission have raised important questions about the role of sexual communication, namely HIV disclosure, as a primary target for intervention.

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This study explored the beliefs of African American male adolescents concerning the high rates of HIV infection among their peers and their reasons for those beliefs. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 16 male African Americans, and a thematic analysis of the data was conducted. Half of the participants believed that peers were not becoming infected at higher rates than white youths and reported high rates of sexual risk taking.

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