HIV-serodifferent couples' perspectives and practices regarding HIV prevention strategies: A mixed methods study.

A substantial proportion of heterosexually acquired HIV infections in the U.S. occur between partners in primary relationships characterized by mixed HIV status.

An Integrated Conceptual Framework of Behavioral Intervention Technologies to Promote Healthcare Utilization Among Socially-Marginalized Populations in the United States.

In the U.S., socially marginalized groups disproportionately shoulder the burden of health outcomes.

The scarlet V: how women with dyspareunia negotiate postfeminist discourses of sexual agency.

Young women must often contend with cultural scripts dictating neoliberal/postfeminist ideals of female sexual agency, including the ability to act in accord with one's personal sexual self-interest. The aim of this study was to explore how young women ( = 26) living with dyspareunia (pain experienced during penetrative sexual activity) negotiate these ideals. We found that in addition to discussing traditional discourses that assign value to women in accordance with their perceived sexual virtue, women judged themselves according to the degree to which their behaviour reflected sexual agency.

Perceived access to PrEP as a critical step in engagement: A qualitative analysis and discrete choice experiment among young men who have sex with men.

Unlabelled: Young Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) continue to face disproportionate HIV risk. Despite its well accepted role in HIV prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake remains below desired goals. Systemic barriers to PrEP access, including insurance complexity, cost, and wait times to start PrEP may contribute to low PrEP engagement.

'It's just a matter of playing the odds': Navigating risks associated with sexual behaviour in the COVID-19 era.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars and popular media outlets have been speculating on the pandemic's effects on sexual relationships. While research differs as to whether COVID-19 is associated with sexual behaviour changes, none has focused on how sexual risk-taking during the pandemic is perceived and accomplished. Drawing on semi-structured interview data collected from 30 sexual minority men in the US, this study explores how men make sense of and manage risk during sexual activity taking place outside the bounds of lockdown.

'It's history in the making all around us': examining COVID-19 through the lenses of HIV and epidemic history.

Research increasingly considers how collective narratives/experiences of HIV influence understandings of and responses to COVID-19 among men who have sex with men and how these discussions articulate with the larger literature on the social significance of epidemics. Drawing on interviews with 30 men who have sex with men, as well as discussion of epidemics as dramaturgical events, this study aimed to determine how men living in the USA make sense of COVID-19 in the light of their collective knowledge and/or memories of the HIV pandemic. Participants experienced progressive revelations regarding COVID-19's seriousness and constructed frameworks with which to manage the unpredictability of infection.

The Magnetic Couples Study: protocol for a mixed methods prospective cohort study of HIV-serodifferent heterosexual couples' perspectives and use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Introduction: HIV transmission within serodifferent heterosexual couples plays a key role in sustaining the global HIV pandemic. In the USA, transmission within established mixed-status couples accounts for up to half of all new HIV infections among heterosexuals. Oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective prevention method, although underutilised among serodifferent couples.

A Syndemic Model of Exchange Sex Among HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex With Men.

Exchange sex is a behavior associated with HIV transmission risk among men who have sex with men (MSM). Few studies have examined exchange sex among HIV-positive MSM. We utilize a syndemic framework to account for co-occurring psychosocial problems that suggest the presence of intertwining epidemics (i.

Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Use Among Men Who Have Sex with Men Experiencing Partner Violence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) significantly increases HIV risk among MSM. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) may provide MSM experiencing IPV an option for self-protection from HIV without requiring condom negotiation or compromising safety. This study examined relationships among various forms of IPV (physical, emotional, monitoring, controlling, and forced sex) and PrEP use among 863 MSM participating in a cross-sectional, internet-based survey.

HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Implementation Cascade Among Health Care Professionals in the United States: Implications from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Although pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been approved for primary HIV prevention for individuals aged 18 years or older since 2012, PrEP utilization has been suboptimal. To understand trends in PrEP provision from the health care providers' perspective, we systematically assessed each specific stage along the PrEP implementation cascade (i.e.

Association of Medical Mistrust and Poor Communication with HIV-Related Health Outcomes and Psychosocial Wellbeing Among Heterosexual Men Living with HIV.

Studies have suggested that effective patient-provider relationships may reduce health disparities and foster engagement across the HIV care continuum among people living with HIV/AIDS. However, no studies have explored specific mechanisms between medical mistrust/poor communication and HIV-related/psychosocial health outcomes among HIV-positive men of color who have sex with women (MCSW) in the United States. From 2011 to 2012, the research team recruited 317 eligible participants in New York City.

Associations Between Relationship Power and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Use Among Men Who Have Sex With Men.

Few studies have attempted to understand relationship-level factors impacting PrEP utilization among men who have sex with men (MSM). This study examined associations between relationship power and PrEP use among 826 MSM participating in a cross-sectional, Internet-based survey. The results of our analysis indicate that decision-making dominance was positively associated with PrEP use among MSM, but the association between relationship control/overall relationship power and PrEP use was inconclusive.

Syndemic factors associated with adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-positive adult heterosexual men.

Background: Suboptimal adherence to HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) and concomitant lack of viral control can have severe consequences for health and onward transmission among persons living with HIV. Little is known about the barriers and facilitators of optimal ART adherence among heterosexual HIV-positive men.

Methods: Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to test a theory-derived model of ART adherence using data from a cross-sectional sample of 317 HIV-positive self-identified heterosexual men residing in New York City.

Advancing the case for nurse practitioner-based models to accelerate scale-up of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Aims: To explore the factors that position nurse practitioners (NPs) to lead the implementation of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Background: The HIV epidemic represents a global health crisis. Reducing new HIV infections is a public health priority, especially for Black and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM).

Effects of Discrimination on HIV-Related Symptoms in Heterosexual Men of Color.

HIV-related symptoms have a deleterious effect on quality of life. One determinant of HIV symptom burden among individuals of color may be discrimination. The aim of this study was to explore whether multiple lifetime discrimination events are associated with a greater number of HIV-related symptoms among heterosexual HIV-positive men of color and to examine the influence of anxiety and social support on this relationship.

Feasibility and acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis use among women in violent relationships.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with a high risk of HIV acquisition. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which does not require partner knowledge or consent, is a promising HIV risk reduction option for women experiencing IPV. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 26 women experiencing IPV within the last six months, this study explored the feasibility and acceptability of PrEP use in this population.

Willingness to Take PrEP for HIV Prevention: The Combined Effects of Race/Ethnicity and Provider Trust.

Blacks and Hispanics/Latinos are disproportionately burdened by HIV compared to non-Hispanic Whites, as evidenced by higher HIV incidence, prevalence, and deaths attributable to AIDS. Increasing the use of novel prevention techniques such as Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) could greatly help in reducing these disparities by lowering HIV incidence among these higher risk groups. Trust in providers, which may differ by race and ethnicity, may influence willingness to take PrEP.

Development and Refinement of a Targeted Sexual Risk Reduction Intervention for Women With a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with sexual risk behavior in adulthood. Traditional sexual risk reduction interventions do not meet the unique needs of women who have been sexually abused. In the current paper, we describe the four-stage process we followed to develop and refine a targeted sexual risk reduction intervention for this population.

Pilot Test of an Integrated Sexual Risk Reduction Intervention for Women with a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

HIV and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are intersecting public health problems for women. We pilot tested an integrated sexual risk reduction intervention for women with a history of CSA that addressed both the consequences of CSA [based on the Traumagenic Dynamics (TD) framework] and the antecedents of sexual risk behavior (based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills [IMB] model). Women with a history of CSA who were attending a public STI clinic (n = 84) were randomly assigned to a five-session integrated TD/IMB (experimental) group intervention or to a time-matched IMB-guided sexual risk reduction (control) group intervention.

Enriched Medical Home Intervention Using Community Health Worker Home Visitation and ED Use.

Background And Objectives: Community health workers (CHWs) have great potential to extend medical home services and reduce emergent health care use, but evidence in pediatrics is scarce. We evaluated the impact of an existing enriched medical home intervention (EMHI) that directly integrates CHWs into emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for pediatric ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs).

Methods: The EMHI group in this prospective cohort study received home visits from trained CHWs to support adherence to recommended care; the comparison group received usual care (UC).

"That's Kind of One of Our Jobs": Sexual Activity as a Form of Care Work Among Women with Sexual Difficulties.

Willing engagement in unwanted or undesired sexual activity, often associated with fulfilling a partner's needs or sustaining intimate relationships, is common. Acquiescence with undesired sexual activity can be conceptualized as sexual care work, that is, domestic "labor" that women undertake with the goal of caring for their partners' well-being. Drawing on interviews with 53 women with dyspareunia (pain experienced during intercourse) and low desire, the aim of this study was to examine how women with sexual difficulties engage in sexual care work, the implications of the inability to perform such work for gender identity, and the ways in which sexual care work may blur the lines between women's perceptions of coercion and consent.

Struggles for medical legitimacy among women experiencing sexual pain: A qualitative study.

Given the prominent role of medical institutions in defining what is "healthy" and "normal," many women turn to medicine when experiencing pain during intercourse (dyspareunia). The medical encounter can become a contest between patients and providers when physicians do not grant legitimacy to patients' claims of illness. Drawing on interviews conducted from 2007 to 2008 and 2011 to 2012 with 32 women experiencing dyspareunia (ages 18-60 years) and living in New York City and its surrounding areas, this study examined women's and their physicians' claims regarding bodily expertise, particularly women's perceptions of physician invalidation, their understanding of this invalidation as gendered, and the consequences for women's pursuit of medicalization.

Development and Preliminary Pilot Testing of a Peer Support Text Messaging Intervention for HIV-Infected Black Men Who Have Sex With Men.

Background: Black men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately infected with HIV and are less well retained along the HIV continuum of care. We report on the feasibility of a peer support text messaging intervention designed to increase retention in HIV care and HIV medication adherence among HIV-infected black men who have sex with men.

Methods: Based on formative research, a cell phone app was developed to support a peer-based text messaging intervention.

Mobile technology use and desired technology-based intervention characteristics among HIV+ Black men who have sex with men.

HIV positive Black men who have sex with men (MSM) are retained in HIV medical care at suboptimal rates. Interventions targeted to Black MSM are needed to help to improve their retention in care. The purposes of this study were to investigate the use of mobile technology among HIV+ Black MSM and to explore participants' thoughts about the use of mobile technology for HIV retention in care interventions.

The Potential of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for Women in Violent Relationships.

HIV and intimate partner violence (IPV) are significant intersecting threats to women's health. Women in violent relationships have few feasible HIV risk reduction options as traditional prevention methods are largely dependent on a partner's cooperation. The purpose of this review is to explore potential benefits and drawbacks of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among women in the United States experiencing IPV.