Social Networks Moderate the Syndemic Effect of Psychosocial and Structural Factors on HIV Risk Among Young Black Transgender Women and Men who have Sex with Men

Silva, Daniel Teixeira da; Bouris, Alida; Voisin, Dexter R.; Hotton, Anna L.; Brewer, Russell; Schneider, John A.

doi:10.1007/s10461-019-02575-9

Cited by 42 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…Among sexual minorities, social support has been found to buffer against the negative effects of homophobic stressors on emotional distress (Doty et al, 2010; Fingerhut, 2018; Wang et al, 2018). Some research has also found that social support related constructs like social capital (i.e., the resources gained through social relationships; Valente et al, 2020) and social network size (Teixeria da Silva et al, 2020) may mitigate the association of stigma (e.g., sex work stigma) with risk behaviors, including CAS. However, the potential buffering effect of perceived social support on CAS in the context of antiretroviral-based HIV prevention has not been directly examined in GBM.…”

Section: Social Support Among Gbmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social support and HIV prevention behaviors among urban HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Skakoon‐Sparling¹,

Berlin²,

Lachowsky³

et al. 2022

Health Psychology

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Objective: Supportive social relationships can have direct positive effects on health and mitigate the negative impact of stressors. This study investigated the main effect of perceived social support on STI/HIV risk and prevention behaviors. The buffering effect of perceived social support on the impact of proximal minority stressors, like internalized homonegativity, was also examined on one risk behavior specifically, condomless anal sex (CAS) without HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use. Methods: HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) were recruited using respondent driven sampling from three major Canadian urban centers (n = 1,409). GBM completed measures of perceived social support, proximal minority stress, and engagement in STI/HIV risk and prevention behaviors. Results: Higher perceived social support was positively associated with a several health behaviors, including recent STI and HIV testing, discussing HIV status with prospective partners, the use of behavioral HIV-risk reduction strategies during sexual encounters, and a lower likelihood of engaging in CAS without PrEP. There was evidence of moderation as well. Among GBM with higher perceived social support, internalized homonegativity was no longer associated with increased odds of engaging in CAS without PrEP. Conclusions: The results of the current study advance social support theory to GBM in the context of biomedical prevention, showing both evidence of both direct associations and buffering effects on STI/HIV risk and prevention behaviors. This highlights the importance of promoting social support seeking in interventions aimed at improving GBM health.

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Section: Social Support Among Gbmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social support and HIV prevention behaviors among urban HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Skakoon‐Sparling¹,

Berlin²,

Lachowsky³

et al. 2022

Health Psychology

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“…Fourth, although quantitative studies have found a combined, or syndemic, effect of negative processes at structural/systemic, interpersonal, and individual on engagement in care among young Black MSM [ 28 , 36 ], this is one of the first qualitative studies [ 37 ] to explore how and ways in which these influences affect each other. For example, for some participants, housing instability and/or taking a break from school led to depression and disruptions in one’s daily schedule, both of which led to lowered motivation and capacity to remain engaged in care.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socio-Ecological Influences on HIV Care Engagement: Perspectives of Young Black Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV in the Southern US

Sterrett-Hong

Crosby

Johnson

et al. 2022

J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

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Young Black men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV evidence the lowest rates of linkage to care and viral suppression of all US MSM. Kentucky, identified by the US Department of Health and Human Services as a “hot spot” state with elevated HIV incidence compared to the rest of the country, exhibits similar racialized outcomes. Structural, interpersonal, and individual drivers of engagement along the HIV care continuum among people living with HIV have been identified, primarily through quantitative designs. However, the mechanisms by which these factors shape HIV care engagement, and the ways they may combine or reinforce each other, as well as from the lived experience of young Black MSM living with HIV, have been studied to a lesser extent. In this study, a purposive sample of n = 29 HIV-positive young Black MSM (age M = 25 years old; 38% retained in care) residing in Kentucky participated in in-depth interviews. Factors that were most influential on engagement varied along the continuum, with health insurance status and knowledge of HIV being relatively more influential to diagnosis, and housing stability, psychological processes, and interpersonal relationships being more influential on retention. For some participants, barriers to care at multiple levels had a mutually influencing and intensifying impact on care engagement. Additional efforts to center the voices of young Black MSM living with HIV will help illuminate acceptable and sustainable interventions for increasing their care engagement and narrowing persistent racial disparities in HIV morbidity and mortality.

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“…In health behavior, syndemics are linked to health problems that occur among specific groups because of personal (eg, higher anxiety or depression) or environmental conditions (eg, disease concentration and lack of resources) that interact and produce negative effects on individuals [21]. A large body of research on YMSM uses a syndemic framework to understand the health and social inequalities affecting them, as well as the increased sexual and risk-taking behaviors that are usually associated with these disparities [22][23][24][25][26]. The current findings show that enhancing assets and resources that promote resilience and reduce environmental barriers may reduce risk factors and increase the uptake of HIV prevention services.…”

Section: Theoretical Foundation: Positive Youth Development and Resil...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of an HIV Prevention Intervention for African American Young Men Who Have Sex With Men (Y2Prevent): Study Protocol

et al. 2022

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Background African American young men who have sex with men (YMSM) possess many intersecting identities that may increase their vulnerability to social stigmatization and discrimination, which yields a negative influence on their well-being and behaviors. These experiences often manifest as increased general and sexual risk-taking behaviors that place this particular group at an increased risk for HIV. This scenario is exacerbated by the lack of HIV prevention interventions specifically designed for African American YMSM. Objective In this paper, we discuss the development of research designed to refine, pilot, and evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a behavioral intervention designed to build resilience and reduce substance use and HIV risk behaviors among African American YMSM. The overarching aim of this research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is to further refine and pilot test an intervention called Young Men’s Adult Identity Monitoring (YM-AIM). YM-AIM is a theory-driven, group-level intervention designed to help African American YMSM develop a healthy vision for their future (or possible future self) by defining a set of short-term and long-term goals in the areas of education, health, family, and intimate relationships. Methods Through partnerships with community members and community-based organizations, we will further strengthen and refine YM-AIM to include 3 new components: biomedical HIV prevention strategies (pre-exposure prophylaxis and postexposure prophylaxis); HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and HIV care referral, drug screening, and drug treatment referral; and a youth mentoring component. We will recruit African American YMSM, aged 18 to 24 years, into 2 working groups; each group will consist of 6 to 8 members and will convene on a weekly basis, and each meeting will focus on one specific YM-AIM topic. This feedback will be used to further refine the intervention, which will then be evaluated for its feasibility and acceptability. Intervention outcomes include drug use in the past 30 days and 3 months, alcohol use, condomless sex, number of sex partners, and increasing condom use intention, condom use self-efficacy, HIV and STI testing recency and frequency, and linkage to care. Results As of June 2022, we completed phase 1 of Y2Prevent and launched phase 2 of Y2Prevent to begin recruitment for working group participants. Phase 3 of Y2Prevent is anticipated to be launched in September and is expected to be completed by the end of this project period in December 2022. Conclusions Few youth-focused interventions have sought to help youth identify and develop the skills needed to navigate the social and structural factors that contribute to individual-level engagement in prevention among sexual minority youth. This research seeks to promote young men’s adoption and maintenance of HIV-protective behaviors (eg, safer sex, pre-exposure prophylaxis use, HIV and STI testing, and health care use). International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/36718

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Social Networks Moderate the Syndemic Effect of Psychosocial and Structural Factors on HIV Risk Among Young Black Transgender Women and Men who have Sex with Men

Cited by 42 publications

References 99 publications

Social support and HIV prevention behaviors among urban HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Social support and HIV prevention behaviors among urban HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Socio-Ecological Influences on HIV Care Engagement: Perspectives of Young Black Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV in the Southern US

Development of an HIV Prevention Intervention for African American Young Men Who Have Sex With Men (Y2Prevent): Study Protocol

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