Dynamic factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Cameroon between 2021 and 2022.

Background: Little is known about attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination in sub-Saharan Africa, where immunisation coverage is the lowest in the world.

Aim: The study aimed to identify factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and uptake in Cameroon, and assess changes in these factors over a period of time.

Setting: The study was conducted in the ten regions of Cameroon.

Exploring the effects of mental health on bonding and caregiving among pregnant and postpartum persons with likely depression and/or PTSD in South Africa: A qualitative analysis.

Perinatal mental health disorders place a particularly high public health burden on South Africa (SA) via negative health outcomes for the birthing parent and adverse health outcomes for infants (e.g., low birth weight, preterm deliveries, malnourishment) as well as emotional and behavioral problems in children.

Identifying the ways in which tobacco cessation interventions have been tailored for sexual and gender minority individuals: A systematic review.

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals smoke at higher rates than their heterosexual and cisgender peers. SGM persons, especially transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals, face unique, adverse health effects associated with smoking. As such, SGM individuals may benefit from smoking cessation interventions that are tailored to meet their needs.

A systematic comparison of additive and interaction approaches to modeling the effects of syndemic problems on HIV outcomes in South Africa.

Much of the research on the effects of syndemics on HIV outcomes has utilized an additive approach. However, interaction effects may better account for syndemic synergy than an additive approach, but it remains difficult to specify interaction effects without empirical guidance. We sought to systematically compare additive and interaction effects approaches to modeling the effects of syndemic problems on antiretroviral therapy (ART) using empirically specified interaction terms.

A Longitudinal Examination of HIV Risk Perception Accuracy among Sexual Minority Men with History of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) with history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are at high risk for HIV acquisition. One reason is posttraumatic responses compromise ability to accurately appraise risk for danger/vulnerability. Health behavior change models and related interventions assume risk perception can be changed in an enduring manner.

A resiliency intervention adapted for older women with HIV: Results from a pilot randomized controlled trial in the northeastern US.

Aging with HIV often results in psychosocial and health-related challenges for women; however, no resiliency interventions exist for older women with HIV (WWH). WWH aged ≥50 were randomized to 10 group sessions of an adapted resiliency intervention or time-matched supportive psychotherapy. Assessments were conducted at three timepoints.

HIV, multimorbidity, and health-related quality of life in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A population-based study.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assesses the perceived impact of health status across life domains. Although research has explored the relationship between specific conditions, including HIV, and HRQoL in low-resource settings, less attention has been paid to the association between multimorbidity and HRQoL. In a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the Vukuzazi ("Wake up and know ourselves" in isiZulu) study, which identified the prevalence and overlap of non-communicable and infectious diseases in the uMkhanyakunde district of KwaZulu-Natal, we (1) evaluated the impact of multimorbidity on HRQoL; (2) determined the relative associations among infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and HRQoL; and (3) examined the effects of controlled versus non-controlled disease on HRQoL.

The salience of structural barriers and behavioral health problems to ART adherence in people receiving HIV primary care in South Africa.

Multilevel factors (individual and structural) influence adherence to antiretroviral therapy, particularly in high HIV prevalence areas such as South Africa. The present study examined the relative importance of structural barriers to HIV care and behavioral health factors, depression and alcohol use, in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa. People receiving HIV care in six primary care clinics in Khayelitsha (N = 194) completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, the Structural Barriers to Medication Taking questionnaire, and a qualitative rating of past-two-week adherence.

Sexual Networking and HIV/STI Prevention Among Men who have Sex with Men and Identify as Persons of Color in the Era of COVID-19 in Boston, MA: Qualitative Findings from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Project.

Men who have sex with men and identify as persons of color (MSM of color) are significantly impacted by HIV in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic may have disproportionately exacerbated HIV-related disparities among MSM of color by affecting sexual networking behaviors and disrupting access to sexual health care. The current study explored the impact of COVID-19 on sexual networking and HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention behaviors among MSM of color in Boston, MA.

The impact of COVID-19 and long COVID on sexual function in cisgender women.

Background: Research suggests that COVID-19 impairs sexual function in men, but little is known about the impact of COVID-19 (or long COVID) on sexual function in women.

Aim: We sought to compare the sexual function of cisgender women who had never had COVID-19, who had COVID-19 but not long COVID, and who had long COVID, and assessed whether long COVID symptoms and/or emotional distress mediate the relationship between COVID-19 history and sexual function.

Methods: In total, 2329 adult cisgender women were recruited online as study participants.

"Trajectories of treatment response in a cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention for depression and adherence in persons with HIV in South Africa".

Background: People with HIV (PHW) are at greater risk of depression than the general population. Insight into the time-to-treatment-response and predictors of response to psychotherapy may improve implementation in primary care.

Methods: We assessed depression treatment response among 80 participants in a trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy for adherence and depression (CBT-AD) for PWH with MDD and suboptimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence.

The Relationship Between Cigarette Dependence and Cessation Methods: Implications for Smoking Cessation Among People With HIV.

Objective: These analyses investigate how dependence may be related to cessation method choice and how this relationship may vary by subpopulation among people with HIV (PWH) who smoke cigarettes.

Method: PWH who smoke ( = 71) were recruited from clinics in Boston, MA. The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and Smoking History Questionnaire (SHQ) were completed to assess for cigarette dependence, past-week cigarettes per day (CPD), and past cessation method use.

"I am scared, I do not want to lie": exploring the impacts of COVID-19 on engagement in care, perceived health, relationship dynamics, and parenting among postpartum women with HIV in South Africa.

Background: COVID-19 and efforts to manage widespread infection may compromise HIV care engagement. The COVID-19-related factors linked to reduced HIV engagement have not been assessed among postpartum women with HIV, who are at heightened risk of attrition under non-pandemic circumstances. To mitigate the effects of the pandemic on care engagement and to prepare for future public health crises, it is critical to understand how COVID-19 has impacted (1) engagement in care and (2) factors that may act as barriers to care engagement.

Factors Associated With Changes in Alcohol Use During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Transition Among People With HIV in South Africa and Uganda.

Identifying factors associated with alcohol use changes during pregnancy is important for developing interventions for people with HIV (PWH). Pregnant PWH (n = 202) initiating antiretroviral therapy in Uganda and South Africa completed two assessments, 6 months apart (T1, T2). Categories were derived based on AUDIT-C scores: "no use" (AUDIT-C = 0 at T1 and T2), "new use" (AUDIT-C = 0 at T1, >0 at T2), "quit" (AUDIT-C > 0 at T1, =0 at T2), and "continued use" (AUDIT-C > 0, T1 and T2).

"I am scared, I do not want to lie": Exploring the impacts of COVID-19 on engagement in care, perceived health, relationship dynamics, and parenting among postpartum women with HIV in South Africa.

Background COVID-19 and efforts to manage widespread infection may compromise HIV care engagement. The COVID-19-related factors linked to reduced HIV engagement have not been assessed among postpartum women with HIV, who are at heightened risk of attrition under non-pandemic circumstances. To mitigate the effects of the pandemic on care engagement and to prepare for future public health crises, it is critical to understand how COVID-19 has impacted (1) engagement in care and (2) factors that may act as barriers to care engagement.

Cognitive and Behavioral Contributions to Depression Severity, Quality of Life, and Functioning Among People Living With HIV in South Africa.

Cognitive-behavioral treatments for depression typically address both behavioral (e.g., activation) and cognitive (e.

Mental Health, Social Connectedness, and Fear During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Perspective from Older Women with HIV.

Older women with HIV (WWH) confront significant biopsychosocial challenges that may be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Between May 2020 and April 2021, following a resiliency intervention conducted as part of a randomized parent trial, 24 cisgender WWH (M = 58 years old) completed quantitative assessments and qualitative interviews exploring the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. Qualitative data were analyzed via rapid analysis.

Facets of Gender Expression and Discrimination in Relation to Alcohol and Other Drug Use Severity Among Sexual Minority Women and Gender Diverse Individuals Assigned Female at Birth.

Sexual minority women and gender diverse individuals assigned female at birth (SMW+) consistently report more alcohol and other drug (AOD) use severity than heterosexual women, with greater disparities reported among bisexual plus (bi+) SMW (including bisexual, pansexual, queer, and those with attractions to more than one gender regardless of identity). Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests that SMW with masculine gender expression (e.g.

Intersecting Relationships of Psychosocial and Structural Syndemic Problems Among People with HIV in South Africa: Using Network Analysis to Identify Influential Problems.

In South Africa, little is known about interrelationships between syndemic problems among people with HIV (PWH). A better understanding of syndemic problems may yield important information regarding factors amenable to mitigation. We surveyed 194 PWH in Khayelitsha, outside of Cape Town, South Africa.

Adapting, testing, and refining a resilience intervention for older women with HIV: An open pilot study.

Half of persons with HIV in the United States (US), many of whom are women, are over age 50. Aging women with HIV (WWH) face unique biopsychosocial challenges, including stigma, the physiological effects of aging, and illness-associated stressors. Resilience interventions can build awareness of such stressors and aid in facilitating the relaxation response; however, no existing interventions specifically cater to the needs of older WWH.

Discrimination experiences, resilience, and cardiovascular disease risk factors among sexual minority women.

Resilience, or the process of adapting to adversity, may protect against the harmful effects of minority-related stressors on the cardiovascular health of sexual minority women (SMW). An online survey was conducted in a sample of cisgender, non-heterosexual women to evaluate resilience as a moderator of the association between discrimination experiences and key cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors: stress, tobacco-smoking, hazardous alcohol consumption, poor diet quality, physical inactivity, and sedentary behaviors. Overall, 191 women (mean age = 29.