Men who have sex with men and transgender women are hard-to-reach populations for research. Social media-based tools may overcome certain barriers in accessing these groups and are being tested in an ongoing study exploring HIV home-test kit use to reduce risk behavior. We analyzed pre-screening responses about how volunteers learned about the study (n = 896) and demographic data from eligible participants who came for an initial study visit (n = 216) to determine the strengths and weaknesses of recruitment strategies. Social media-based strategies resulted in the highest number of individuals screened (n = 444, 26% eligible). Dating sites/apps reached large numbers of eligible participants. White-Hispanics and African-Americans were more likely to be recruited through personal contacts; community events successfully reached Hispanic volunteers. Incorporating recruitment queries into pre-screening forms can help modify recruitment strategies for greater efficacy and efficiency. Findings suggest that recruitment strategies need to be tailored to reach specific target populations.

This study gathered preliminary data on the impact of the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic on the substance use, sexual behavior, and general well-being of U.S. college students. Participants from colleges across the U.S. (N ¼ 212; 50.5% female; M age ¼ 22.09) completed an online survey between May 20 th and July 5 th , 2020 about COVID-19-related behavior change. Most students reported a decrease in quality of life (71.7%), an increase in levels of anxiety (63.7%), and problems with basic resource needs (53.8%). Reports of alcohol consumption increased for 26.9% of students and 15.1% reported an increase in cannabis use. Most students (57.5%) reported a decrease in sexual activity, yet access to, and use of, condoms generally remained unchanged. As universities resume residential instruction, existing prevention and intervention services will need to be adapted to address the mental and behavioral health needs of college students during the era of COVID-19.

We identified factors that aid international implementation and operation of SMS-CASI for real-time adherence monitoring. The challenges and solutions we present can aid other researchers to develop and manage an international multilingual SMS-based adherence reminder and CASI system.

Internalized HIV-related stigma negatively impacts the mental and physical health of women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHA). Yet, some women can successfully confront stigma. The present work uses qualitative methods to investigate the successful stigma coping strategies displayed by 19 WLWHA who reported the least internalized stigma possible on the Internalized AIDS-Related Stigma Scale out of a larger pool of 233 WLWHA in San Felipe de Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Such strategies included, HIV disclosure control; preemptive disclosure of HIV-status; educating oneself/others about HIV; viewing HIV as a manageable condition; and looking to family, friends and partners for support. Our findings add to current knowledge about how WLWHA successfully manage internalized stigma, particularly in the context of the Dominican Republic. Clinicians should work closely with WLWHA to counsel them about the stigma coping strategies that best fit their life context.