Sexually Transmitted Infections in LGBT Populations

Para, Andrew J.; Gee, Stephen E.; Davis, John A.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-19752-4_14

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 64 publications

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“…Social stigma, medical mistrust, and minority stress 6 have exposed SGM individuals to disproportionate levels of mistreatment and discrimination, which has given rise to poor physiological and mental health outcomes. 7 SGM people experience delays in cancer screening and diagnosis 8,9 , elevated rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) 10 , and may be at a greater risk of cardiovascular disease 11 . Improving enrollment and retention of SGM people in studies that collect biospecimens may help to reduce health disparities and enable research to improve SGM patient care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Experiences of Sexual and Gender Minority Participants With a Remote Biospecimen Collection Protocol

Panyanouvong,

Lella,

Sunder

et al. 2024

sgrlgbtq

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Sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities are underrepresented in biomedical studies, highlighting the importance of developing biospecimen collection protocols aimed at engaging SGM participants. We aimed to learn more about SGM participants’ experiences with a remote (i.e., not performed at a central location) biospecimen collection study pioneered by The PRIDE Study, a cohort study of SGM adults residing in the United States and its territories. Feedback was collected from 112 SGM participants following blood donation for a parent study investigating the relationship between minority stress, substance use, and epigenetic markers of substance use and minority stress. We used an inductive and collaborative approach to qualitative analysis and identified major themes and areas for protocol improvement. Major themes among participant feedback were as follows: (1) communication with the research team, (2) convenience of donation, (3) interactions with clinical laboratory staff, and (4) anonymity and privacy. Most participants indicated that they experienced little to no problems during the donation process and expressed approval for the clarity and transparency of the informed consent process, ease of communication with the research team, and measures taken to protect participant confidentiality during their appointment. The most common challenges encountered by participants related to the inconvenience of handling and transporting study materials to the clinical laboratory site and the clinical laboratory staff’s unfamiliarity with the study protocol. Some participants indicated a preference for more elements of the study protocol (e.g., transporting collection materials) to be left to the responsibility of the research team. Future studies should carefully consider the delegation of responsibility between participants and the research team to balance both study reach and participant accessibility. Alternative formats, such as at-home collection or collaboration with community health workers, may further enhance participant satisfaction and convenience.

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