“Friendships Are a Big Part of It”: Social Relationships, Social Distance, and HIV Risks

Abstract

Social distance, or how close or distant individuals consider others, is an important influence on drug injectors' HIV risk behavior. Qualitative in-depth interviews with a vignette were employed with a sample of drug injectors in England to explore the influence of social distance on HIV risk behavior. Analysis of these data distinguish between close and distant relationships in sexual behavior in the community and in drug-injecting behavior inside prison. These findings help to expose the constituents of social distance in relation to drug injectors' perceptions of HIV risk, which are discussed throughout this paper.

Key Words:

• Drug injectors
• Risk
• Behavior
• HIV/AIDS
• Social distance
• Relationships
• Qualitative research