Acceptability of a Smartphone-Based Music Intervention for Chronic Pain and Problematic Opioid Use Among People with HIV: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study.

Chronic pain can be complicated by problematic opioid use, which may decrease engagement in care and HIV medication adherence. Pain-related anxiety and catastrophic thinking augment pain severity and interference while driving increased substance use. The acceptability and effect of a music-based smartphone application on negative affect and catastrophic thinking were evaluated in a mixed-methods study among persons living with HIV (PWH) with problematic opioid use and chronic pain.

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of IN FOCUS: A Mind-Body Resiliency Intervention for Fear of Cancer Recurrence.

Introduction: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is prevalent and distressing among survivors of cancer. Evidence-based mind-body and cognitive-behavioral skills lack integration and testing in scalable formats.

Objective: This pilot randomized controlled trial (NCT04876599) tested a synchronous, virtual mind-body group resiliency intervention for FCR (IN FOCUS).

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.

Severity and Number of Substances Used are Independently Associated with Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Over Time among People with HIV in the Current Treatment Era.

Substance use is associated with decreased antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people with HIV (PWH). Adherence plays a significant role in mediating the negative effects of substance use on HIV suppression and is a principal modifiable patient-level factor in improving HIV suppression and reducing ART drug resistance. Understanding substance use and ART adherence, particularly with rapidly changing substance use epidemiology and ART regimens, is vital to improving HIV care.

Characterizing syndemic HIV risk profiles and mHealth intervention acceptability among patients in the emergency department.

proposes that co-occurring, mutually reinforcing psychosocial challenges (mental health, substance use, minority stress [discrimination/stigma], abuse, unmet basic needs) drive HIV risk behavior and create barriers to care for marginalized populations. It is thus necessary to address this holistic, complex picture in HIV prevention. Emergency department (ED) visits are a prime opportunity to engage key risk groups, given their low engagement in regular clinic-based care and high utilization of drop-in care via EDs.

Adaptive coping, emotions, and antiretroviral therapy adherence among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) with HIV.

This study evaluated the hypothesis that positive emotions attenuate associations between negative emotions with adaptive coping and adherence, as well as explored evidence of the hypothesis of an indirect effect association between adaptive coping and adherence via positive emotions. The sample was 202 gbMSM with HIV who use substances (mean age [standard deviation] = 47.15 [12.

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.

Smoking and Type 1 Versus Type 2 Myocardial Infarction Among People With HIV in the United States: Results from the Center for AIDS Research Network Integrated Clinical Systems Cohort.

Smoking is a myocardial infarction (MI) risk factor among people with HIV (PWH). Questions persist regarding the role of smoking behaviors and measurements (e.g.

Family-centred interventions for people with substance use disorders in low-income and middle-income country settings: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Substance use disorder (SUD) and problematic substance use are global public health concerns with significant multifaceted implications for physical health and psychosocial well-being. The impact of SUD extends beyond the individual to their family while imposing financial and social burdens on the community. Though family-centred interventions have shown promise in addressing SUD, their implementation and impact in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain underexplored.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Psycho-Behavioral Interventions for Cardiovascular Risk among People Living with HIV: A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

People with HIV (PWH) are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease (CVD). Psycho-behavioral therapies are capable of targeting the pathophysiology underlying HIV-CVD comorbidity. This study synthesized findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psycho-behavioral therapies for reducing CVD risk among PWH following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Leveraging A Digital Pill System to Understand Prevention-Effective Adherence to Oral Hiv Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Men Who Have Sex with Men with Substance Use.

Daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective for HIV prevention, though efficacy depends on adherence. Digital pill systems (DPS) can enable direct, real-time adherence measurement. HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) with substance use (excluding alcohol) utilized a DPS over 90 days and completed weekly surveys reporting sexual activity, condom use, and substance use.

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.

"What if I got rejected by the girl? I would rather stop the pills": barriers and facilitators of adherence to antiretroviral therapy for emerging adults aged 18-29 living with HIV in Zimbabwe.

Emerging adults aged 18-29 have high rates of viral non-suppression, and poorer adherence to ART when compared to older adults. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 emerging adults in Zimbabwe who had a recent history of viral non-suppression, to explore barriers and facilitators of adherence to ART. Interviews were coded using inductive thematic analysis.

Smartphone and Wearable Device-Based Digital Phenotyping to Understand Substance use and its Syndemics.

Digital phenotyping is a process that allows researchers to leverage smartphone and wearable data to explore how technology use relates to behavioral health outcomes. In this Research Concepts article, we provide background on prior research that has employed digital phenotyping; the fundamentals of how digital phenotyping works, using examples from participant data; the application of digital phenotyping in the context of substance use and its syndemics; and the ethical, legal and social implications of digital phenotyping. We discuss applications for digital phenotyping in medical toxicology, as well as potential uses for digital phenotyping in future research.

Acceptance of digital phenotyping linked to a digital pill system to measure PrEP adherence among men who have sex with men with substance use.

Once-daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective strategy to prevent HIV, but is highly dependent on adherence. Men who have sex with men (MSM) who use substances face unique challenges maintaining PrEP adherence. Digital pill systems (DPS) allow for real-time adherence measurement through ingestible sensors.

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.

Real-World Implementation Challenges Associated with a Digital Pill System to Measure Adherence to HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis from Two Studies of Men Who Have Sex With Men.

Once-daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective for HIV prevention, but its efficacy is dependent on adherence, which can be challenging for men who have sex with men (MSM) with substance use. Digital pill systems (DPS) represent a novel tool for directly measuring adherence through ingestible radiofrequency sensors that confirm ingestions in real-time. We examined operational challenges across two studies involving DPS to measure PrEP adherence.

Informing Acceptability and Feasibility of Digital Phenotyping for Personalized HIV Prevention among Marginalized Populations Presenting to the Emergency Department.

For marginalized populations with ongoing HIV epidemics, alternative methods are needed for understanding the complexities of HIV risk and delivering prevention interventions. Due to lack of engagement in ambulatory care, such groups have high utilization of drop-in care. Therefore, emergency departments represent a location with those at highest risk for HIV and in highest need of novel prevention methods.

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.

Preliminary feasibility of a wrist-worn receiver to measure medication adherence via an ingestible radiofrequency sensor.

Adherence to medications is a complex task that requires complex biobehavioral support. To better provide tools to assist with medication adherence, digital pills provide an option to directly measure medication taking behaviors. These systems comprise a gelatin capsule with radiofrequency emitter, a wearable Reader that collects the radio signal and a smartphone app that collects ingestion data displays it for patients and clinicians.

Sex Differences in the Cognitive Performance of a South African Cohort of People With HIV and Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder.

Women with HIV (WWH) may be more vulnerable to cognitive impairment than men with HIV (MWH), which may be explained by the direct effects of HIV or by sociodemographic and psychiatric characteristics. We recruited 105 people with HIV (PWH; 76 women) with incomplete antiretroviral therapy adherence, comorbid major depressive disorder, and socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Participants completed neuropsychological testing and measures gathering sociodemographic, medical, and psychiatric information.