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The Use of Qualitative Comparative Analysis for Critical Event Research in Alcohol and HIV in Mumbai, India

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Abstract

In this paper we use Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) in critical event analysis to identify under what conditions alcohol is necessary in contributing to unprotected sex. The paper is based on a set of in-depth interviews with 84 men aged 18 = 29 from three typical low income communities in Mumbai who reported using alcohol and having sex with at least one nonspousal partner once or more in the 30 days prior to the interview. The interviews included narratives of critical events defined as recent (past 30–60 day) events involving sexual behavior with or without alcohol. The paper identifies themes related to alcohol, sexuality and condom use, uses QCA to identify and explain configurations leading to protected and unprotected sex, and explains the differences. The analysis shows that alcohol alone is not sufficient to explain any cases involving unprotected sex but alcohol in combination with partner type and contextual factors does explain unprotected sex for subsets of married and unmarried men.

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Notes

  1. The ASHRA study of alcohol and HIV among male residents of low income communities in Mumbai, was funded by NIAAA Grant # R21 AA014803-01, 2005–2009.

  2. The term “slum” is a technical term used by the India Census and Indian researchers to designate low income communities with specific characteristics including income, housing construction and legal status.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express appreciation to the collaborating institutions, the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, and the Institute for Community Research, Hartford, for their support for this study. The research for the study was conducted by an expert team of young researchers who contributed immeasurably to the conceptualization, collection and coding of the qualitative data: Madhu Battalla, Joshi Chandrashekar, Prabhat Kumar, Saurabh Singh, Sharad Singh, Mr. Supe, Supriya Verma, Ajeet Vishen, and Purva Wivedi. We also wish to thank Charles Ragin, University of Arizona for his valuable assistance in understanding and interpreting FSQCA analysis. Data for this paper were obtained through NIAAA Grant # R21 AA014803-01, 2005-2009.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute For Community Research, 2 Hartford Square West, Ste. 100, Hartford, CT, 06106, USA

    Jean J. Schensul & Marlene Berg

  2. School of Social Work, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, USA

    Devyani Chandran

  3. International Institute For Population Sciences, Mumbai, India

    S. K. Singh, Sharad Singh & Kamla Gupta

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  1. Jean J. Schensul
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  2. Devyani Chandran
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  3. S. K. Singh
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  4. Marlene Berg
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  5. Sharad Singh
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  6. Kamla Gupta
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Correspondence to Jean J. Schensul.

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Schensul, J.J., Chandran, D., Singh, S.K. et al. The Use of Qualitative Comparative Analysis for Critical Event Research in Alcohol and HIV in Mumbai, India. AIDS Behav 14 (Suppl 1), 113–125 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-010-9736-6

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