Worldwide, young transgender women (YTW) contend with exceptionally high risks of HIV infection. Cross-sectional studies have suggested that co-occurring epidemics or "syndemics" of psychosocial ...problems may accelerate HIV acquisition and transmission through elevated sexual risk behavior among transgender women. We aimed to examine how a syndemic of 7 psychosocial problems potentiates HIV sexual risk behavior among a multicity, longitudinal cohort of sexually active YTW in the United States.
Between 2012 and 2015, 233 YTW from Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL, completed behavioral surveys at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months. We used generalized estimating equations to examine the prospective relationship of overlapping psychosocial problems and HIV sexual risk behavior (ie, condomless anal or vaginal sex) among YTW.
The prevalence of 7 psychosocial syndemic problems was substantial at baseline and remained high at each time point: 6.4% reported polydrug use in the past 4 months (excluding stimulants); 7.7% reported heavy alcohol use in the past 4 months; 10% reported a history of childhood sexual abuse; 15.9% reported stimulant use in the past 4 months; 41.7% reported experiencing lifetime intimate partner violence; 42.1% reported clinically significant depressive symptoms; and 68.6% reported lifetime transgender-specific victimization. We identified a statistically significant positive "dose-response" relationship between the number of psychosocial syndemic problems and condomless anal or vaginal sex over time.
The accumulation of "syndemic" psychosocial problems predicted HIV sexual risk behavior in a prospective cohort of YTW. Given the high prevalence of psychosocial problems and HIV sexual risk behavior, as well as having the highest HIV incidence among any risk group, the HIV prevention agenda requires a shift toward improved assessment of psychosocial comorbidities and stronger integration with gender-affirming and supportive mental health, violence recovery, and addiction treatment services for this population.
This study examined whether life stress was associated with elevated sexual risk among young transgender women and whether this relationship was mediated by alcohol and substance use. The analysis ...was based on data collected from 116 transgender women aged 16 to 25 as part of a baseline assessment for an HIV prevention intervention. The median age was 20; the majority identified as African American (48%) or Hispanic (32%). Controlling for age, high life stress was associated with an increased odds of sexual risk (OR = 2.39; 95% CI 1.12-5.12). This association was attenuated when substance and alcohol use were added to the model (OR = 1.82; 0.80-4.13). A formal test of the mediation hypothesis indicated a statistically significant indirect effect (β = 0.08; 95% CI 0.02-0.20). Interventions aimed at reducing sexual risk behavior should address problems with substance use as well as more distal factors that impact risk, such homelessness, joblessness, and lack of access to medical care.
For individuals living with HIV, disclosure of HIV status to their partners can be a source of psychological and emotional stress. Minimal information about serostatus disclosure is available for ...young men who have sex with men (YMSM). This study examined the disclosure of HIV status to social and sexual partners among YMSM using social and sexual network data. Respondent-driven sampling was used to collect data from YMSM aged 16-29 in Houston, Texas and Chicago, Illinois. Social network data from 746 respondents and 2035 social and/or sexual partners were collected from 2014 to 2016, of whom 27.9% were HIV seropositive, with 9.4% of their partners being both sexually and socially connected to respondents (overlapping network status), and 90.6% either sexually or socially connected. Generalized estimating equation analysis was conducted based on respondents' knowledge of their sexual partners' HIV status. Results showed that respondents with overlapping sexual and social relationships with their partners were less likely to not know their partners' HIV status (AOR = 0.26 95% CI: 0.18-0.40). Results highlight the association between overlapping partnership and knowledge of partner's HIV status among YMSM. These findings are useful when selecting potential network members to disclose HIV status and support YMSM's health and well-being.
Research on the health of transgender people has focused on the risk for and health consequences of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections with little known about the prevalence of a broader ...range of medical conditions experienced by transgender people. This study used latent class (LC) analysis to examine a range of chronic medical conditions among 223 HIV-positive transgender women of color receiving primary care and psychosocial services in Chicago. The best-fitting model had 2 classes: low and moderate/high multimorbidity with 26% of participants classified in the moderate/high multimorbidity LC. Age group (i.e., under 35 vs 35 and older; AOR 13.8, p < 0.001), ever having AIDS (AOR 4.0, p < 0.05) and psychological distress (AOR 5.1, p < 0.05) were associated with increased probability of moderate/high multimorbidity class membership. The results suggest focusing on HIV-related care or hormonal treatment and potential cardiovascular issues could result in sub-optimal treatment for a population dis-engaged from primary care but which has a broad spectrum of largely untreated medical conditions.
•A new venue-based degree measure is introduced to adjust reported network size.•Computed venue-informed RDS estimates for population HIV/syphilis seroprevalence are used.•Venue-informed RDS ...estimates had smaller variance than the standard reported size.•Venue-informed RDS estimates demonstrate reduced bias compared to the standard reported size.•Venue attendance may provide a better performed degree measure for RDS estimates.
We introduce a new venue-informed network degree measure, which we applied to respondent-driven sampling (RDS) estimators. Using data collected from 746 young MSM in 2014–2016 in Chicago, IL, and Houston, TX, we estimated the population seroprevalence of HIV and syphilis and risk/protective behaviors, using RDS estimates with self-reported network size as a standard degree measure as well as our proposed venue-informed degree measure. The results indicate that the venue-informed degree measure tended to be more efficient (smaller variance) and less biased than the other measure in both cities sampled. Venue attendance-adjusted network size may provide a more reliable and accurate degree measure for RDS estimates of the outcomes of interest.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted sexual health services among those most vulnerable to HIV acquisition, such as adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM). We sought to characterize the changes ...in sexual-risk behaviors, HIV and other STI testing, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among a longitudinal cohort of AMSM aged 13 to 18 years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed a significant decline in HIV testing and a marginal decrease in other STI testing since the pandemic began in March 2020. Outreach efforts and innovative remote delivery of sexual health services are needed to support access to healthcare services among AMSM as the pandemic persists.
Syphilis and HIV epidemics overlap, yet little is known about combined network and behavioural factors that drive syphilis-HIV coinfection. Our study objective was to assess network contexts and ...sexual behaviours associated with syphilis-HIV co-infection and monoinfection among a particularly vulnerable subgroup: young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM). To achieve this objective, we examined factors associated with coinfection by each subgroup as classified by syphilis-HIV infection status: (A) HIV monoinfected, (B) syphilis monoinfected and (C) neither syphilis infected nor HIV infected. In addition, we further identified the factors that are associated with HIV infection or syphilis monoinfection.
Data were collected from a sample of 365 YBMSM, aged 16-29 years, recruited through respondent-driven sampling between 2014 and 2016, in two cities with large HIV epidemics: Houston, TX, and Chicago, IL. We conducted a series of multinomial logistic regression models to predict coinfection, HIV monoinfection and syphilis monoinfection as a function of network and sexual behavioural factors.
Coinfection was associated with having network members who are coinfected or HIV infected within one's
network. Syphilis monoinfection was associated with a higher number of social venues attended, and HIV monoinfection was associated with having more condomless top partners.
Public health interventions that address the diagnosis and treatment of syphilis infection and ensure that those with syphilis are being tested for HIV may be promising in limiting the synergy of syphilis-HIV infections in onward transmission. Advancing HIV and syphilis prevention efforts in high-prevalence networks may allow prioritisation of limited resources.
Objective: This study sought to determine if dynamically tailored medication messages delivered to people living with HIV (PLWH) via text messaging would be well received and enhance adherence and ...clinical outcomes. Methods: A preexperimental proof-of-concept study with 52 men who have sex with men (MSM) recruited from a health clinic focused on promoting the well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. Inclusion criteria were being an English speaking HIV-positive MSM, aged 25 or older. Participants also had to agree to allow access to their medical records, have a cell phone, and be able to receive text messages over the 3-month intervention period. Participants completed baseline surveys that assessed various demographic, social, and health questions; received text messages over 3 months; answered weekly adherence questions via two-way messaging; and completed a follow-up survey at the end of the intervention period. Clinical outcomes were abstracted from participants' medical records at baseline and follow-up. Self-reported medication adherence and clinical outcomes, including CD4 counts and viral load. Results: Participants were receptive to the text messaging intervention, and reported reading and liking the messages. Self-reported medication adherence significantly improved among participants who began the study as nonadherent and received tailored medication reminders. Overall viral load significantly decreased and CD4 count significantly increased from baseline to follow-up. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that using two-way text messaging to dynamically tailor adherence messages may enhance adherence and improve important clinical outcomes for PLWH.
The TransLife Care (TLC) project was developed to address the structural factors that act as barriers to HIV care among transgender women of color. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ...feasibility and initial efficacy of the TLC project; primary HIV care outcomes included linkage to HIV care, engagement in care, retention in care, use of ART and viral suppression among N = 120 participants. In multivariable analysis, receipt of the intervention (versus none), was associated with any HIV care visit (aOR 2.05; 95% CI 1.25–3.37; p = 0.005), more total HIV care visits (aRR 1.45; 95% CI 1.09–1.94; p = 0.011), being retained in care (aOR 1.58; 95% CI 1.03–2.44; p = 0.038), and having a viral load test done (aOR 1.95; 95% CI 1.23–3.09; p = 0.004). We conclude that a structural intervention, designed and delivered by the focus population, that directly addresses social determinants, is feasible and efficacious to promote HIV care engagement among transgender women of color.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, new literature has described the perceptions of adolescent patients on the use of telemedicine for their health care, but less attention has been devoted ...to parents' and caregivers' perspectives on telemedicine usage for their adolescents. Parents' perspectives are important, as they undoubtedly influence how children learn to make decisions about their health care.
This study describes the level of acceptability (measured based on accessibility and satisfaction) expressed by caregivers of adolescent patients with regard to telemedicine visits in an urban adolescent medicine practice.
A cross-sectional survey was sent electronically to parents and guardians of patients aged <18 years who completed outpatient telemedicine visits to an adolescent medicine practice in Chicago, Illinois, from March 2020 to February 2021. The questions focused on accessibility and satisfaction. The data were analyzed to describe response frequencies.
Among a sample of 71 survey respondents, the vast majority reported that telemedicine was very easy to use (58/71, 82%) and was at least as convenient as in-person visits (70/71, 99%). Over 90% of respondents reported that their adolescents' needs were addressed (69/69, 100%) and that they were at least as comfortable with the level of privacy and the confidential conversations between their adolescents and medical providers in telemedicine visits (65/71, 92%) as they were with those in in-person visits.
Our findings suggest that parents and guardians find telemedicine to be an acceptable way for their children and adolescents to receive appropriate health care.
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