Resumen de Loneliness as a Sexual Risk Factor for Male Mexican Migrant Workers.

Miguel Muñoz-Laboy, Jennifer S Hirsch, Arturo Quispe-Lazaro

• HIV/AIDs risk among migrant workers is often examined through individual determinants with limited consideration of social context. We used data from systematic ethnographic observations, structured interviews (n = 50), and life history interviews (n = 10) to examine the relationship between loneliness and HIV/AIDS risk for recently arrived (within the last 3 years) male Mexican migrant workers in New York City. Higher levels of loneliness were strongly associated with frequency of sexual risk behavior (r=0.64; P=.008). From our ethnographic observations, we found that loneliness was a dominant element in workers' migration experience and that 2 different kinds of social spaces served as supportive environments for dealing with loneliness: bars or dance clubs and Catholic churches. Loneliness should be addressed as a critical factor in reducing HIV/AIDS risk among Mexican male migrant workers. (Am J Public Health. 2009; 99:802-810. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2007.122283) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]