The multidimensional nature of received social support in gay men at risk of HIV infection and AIDS

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Abstract
This article concerns received social support in gay men at risk of HIV and AIDS. Distinctions are made between three types of support (informational, tangible, emotional), four sources of support (friends, relatives, partner, organizations), and three dimensions of support (amount, satisfaction, reciprocity). A 24-item inventory reflecting these distinctions was administered to a sample of 587 gay men at two points in time. The psychometric properties of the instrument were determined, and the factor structure of the items varying sources and types of social support were tested. This was done by exploratory as well as by confirmatory factor analyses. The hypothesized structure was confirmed in both waves separately. Results corroborated the assumption that enacted or received social support is a highly differentiated construct and requires assessment tools that are designed according. Descriptive results on the support perceptions in this sample are also presented. Implications for the study of support in men at risk of HIV and AIDS are discussed.