@article{THESIS,
      recid = {4349},
      author = {Fantozzi, Peter},
      title = {HIV Serostatus Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex with Men  — Roles of Executive Functioning and Marijuana Use },
      publisher = {University of Chicago},
      school = {M.A.},
      address = {2022-08},
      number = {THESIS},
      abstract = {Once seen as a terminal diagnosis, HIV can now be managed  as a chronic disease for those with access to care and  life-saving pharmaceuticals. However, while antiretroviral  drugs (ARV) have contributed to a reduction in HIV-related  deaths, progress in the fight to eradicate HIV –  particularly in underserved communities – has stalled (CDC,  2020; Millett et al., 2012). Using data from Khanna and  colleagues' (2016) uConnect study – a project examining the  health of Young Black Men who have Sex with Men (YBMSM)  from the South Side of Chicago – this study aimed to  identify the relationship between marijuana use, executive  functioning, and HIV serostatus among members of this  group. Specifically, analyses were run to understand how  marijuana use and executive functioning interact with – and  individually impact – HIV serostatus. In other words, does  marijuana use impair executive functioning? Are higher  levels of marijuana use associated with HIV seropositivity?  Are impaired executive functions associated with HIV  seropositivity? And summarily, does the potential negative  impact of executive functioning mediate the relationship  between marijuana use and health outcomes? Linear  regressions were used to determine the relationships  between marijuana use frequency and executive function  composites and subdomains. Logistic regressions were used  for binary outcomes, specifically marijuana’s impact on HIV  serostatus and executive functions’ impact on HIV  serostatus. Secondary models were created that adjusted for  covariates recognized in relevant literature. Results  suggest that heavy levels of marijuana use are associated  with poorer executive functioning across all domains and  indexes. After controlling for demographic and psychiatric  variables, analyses failed to find any significant  relationships between marijuana use, executive functioning,  and HIV serostatus. Thus, the hypothesis that marijuana use  and executive are significantly associated with HIV  serostatus among YBMSM was not supported by the data.  Future longitudinal research needs to be conducted to  determine if broad structural barriers drive disparities in  HIV care continuum outcomes. },
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/4349},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.6082/uchicago.4349},
}