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How are Sexual and Ethnic Minority Men with HIV Engaging in Prosocial and Social Coping?
Location: 31
Mentor: Dr. Emily Cherenack
Many Latino sexual minority men (LSMM), i.e., gay and bisexual men, with HIV experience chronic stress. Prosocial coping (i.e., altruism, helping others) may mitigate stress. This mixed-methods study examined cross-sectional data from adult LSMM with HIV recruited in Miami, Florida between 08/2022-06/2023. Participants (n = 58) completed a survey on prosocial coping, volunteering, donating, and activities for neighbors. A subset (n = 10) completed an in-depth interview on coping. In the survey, men reporting discrimination in the past year (n = 42) were asked about prosocial coping with discrimination, and men without discrimination (n = 16) were asked about coping with a recent stressor. The mean for discrimination-related prosocial coping was in the "used quite a bit" range (M = 10, SD = 3.5) and the mean for prosocial coping with other stressors was in the used "somewhat" to "quite a bit" range (M = 8.1, SD = 2.9). In the last year, 24% volunteered and 47% donated money. On average, participants "sometimes" did things for neighbors (M = 3.0, SD = 1.1). We compared prosocial coping measures between men born in the US (57%) and outside the US (59%). Men born outside the US more often did activities for neighbors (M = 3.2) compared to US-born men (M = 2.6). In the interviews, men reported feeling empowered and proud of themselves after helping others and recall seeking social environments to feel motivated. Findings demonstrate that LSMM with HIV use and potentially benefit from prosocial coping. Research is needed to examine the effectiveness of prosocial coping for reducing stress.
