One of the challenges in studying HIV-risk behaviors among gay men is gathering information from a non-biased sample, as traditional probability sampling methods cannot be applied in gay populations. Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) has been proposed as a reliable and bias-free method to recruit "hidden" populations, such as gay men. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of RDS to sample Latino gay men and transgender persons. This was carried out when we used RDS to recruit participants into a study that investigated community involvement on HIV/AIDS sexual risk behaviors among Latino gay and bisexual men, and transgender (male-to-female) persons in Chicago and San Francisco. The population coverage of RDS was then compared to simulated time-location sampling (TLS). Recruitment differences were observed across cities, but the samples were comparable. RDS showed broader population coverage than TLS, especially among individuals at high risk for HIV.

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This paper presents a conceptual framework of the protective effects of community involvement in HIV/AIDS-related groups and organizations for HIV sexual risk behavior among gay and bisexual men. The framework delineates hypotheses for future research, and provides a guide for prevention programs based on the active and direct involvement of participants, particularly communities of color. The framework (1) argues that community involvement moderates the association between three socio-structural risk factors (i.e. poverty, homophobia and racism) and sexual risk behavior; (2) posits that community involvement in HIV/AIDS reduces sexual risk behavior via its effects on four mediating factors (i.e. peer norms, self-efficacy, positive self-identity and alienation); (3) proposes five socio-cultural barriers to and facilitators of community involvement in HIV/AIDS (i.e. motives for participation, poverty, acculturation, stigma and perceived opportunities); and (4) addresses burnout as one potential negative consequence of community involvement in HIV/AIDS-related organizations and groups. The conceptual framework advances the understanding of HIV sexual risk behavior by integrating both its socio-structural risk and protective factors. It contributes to health education by specifying how interventions based on collective action (e.g. community involvement) for social change may be effective in generating healthy behaviors at individual and community levels.

The stress-buffering hypothesis was explored longitudinally in a sample of 173 urban, male, African-American adolescents. Data on parental and friend support, stressful life events, alcohol and substance use, delinquency, and psychological symptoms were collected twice, six months apart. No support for the stress-buffering hypothesis was found for any of the dependent variables. Friend support also was unrelated to the dependent variables longitudinally. Parental support predicted less anxiety and depression longitudinally, but psychological symptoms did not predict increased parental support over time. The findings suggest that parental support may help insulate these African-American youths from anxiety and depression, but that the youths' symptoms do not necessarily activate increased levels of parental support. The results of this study add to the growing body of research that indicates the positive role parental support plays in the healthy development of African-American adolescents.

Theories of social integration and stress process posit that community involvement may buffer or may compensate the adverse effects of stigma on psychological well-being. In this article, the authors explore this thesis in a stigmatized and seldom studied group of HIV-positive Latino gay men. Specifically, they examine the effects of community involvement in AIDS and gay-related organizations (e.g., volunteerism and activism) and experienced homosexual stigma on three psychological well-being indicators (i.e., self-esteem, depression, and loneliness). The cross-sectional sample includes 155 HIV-positive men living in New York City and Washington, DC. Results suggest that experienced stigma attributed to homosexuality is associated with psychological well-being. Community involvement, however, seems to compensate the association between stigma and depression and loneliness, while buffering the association with self-esteem. Furthermore, community involvement appears to also heighten the perception of stigma.