Estimating HIV Incident Diagnoses Among Men Who Have Sex With Men Eligible for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis but Not Taking It: Protocol and Feasibility Assessment of Data Sources and Methods.

Background: HIV incidence estimates are published each year for all Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) counties, but they are not stratified by the demographic variables highly associated with risk of infection. Regularly updated estimates of HIV incident diagnoses available at local levels are required to monitor the epidemic in the United States over time and could contribute to background incidence rate estimates for alternative clinical trial designs for new HIV prevention products.

Objective: We describe methods using existing, robust data sources within areas in the United States to reliably estimate longitudinal HIV incident diagnoses stratified by race and age categories among men who have sex with other men (MSM) eligible for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) but not taking it.

America's HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard: Protocol for a Data Resource to Support Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States.

Background: The Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) plan aims to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030. Having timely and accessible data to assess progress toward EHE goals at the local level is a critical resource to achieve this goal.

Objective: The aim of this paper was to introduce America's HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard (AHEAD), a data visualization tool that displays relevant data on the 6 HIV indicators provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A Data Visualization and Dissemination Resource to Support HIV Prevention and Care at the Local Level: Analysis and Uses of the AIDSVu Public Data Resource.

Background: AIDSVu is a public resource for visualizing HIV surveillance data and other population-based information relevant to HIV prevention, care, policy, and impact assessment.

Objective: The site, AIDSVu.org, aims to make data about the US HIV epidemic widely available, easily accessible, and locally relevant to inform public health decision making.

Association Between Gender Confirmation Treatments and Perceived Gender Congruence, Body Image Satisfaction, and Mental Health in a Cohort of Transgender Individuals.

Background: Transgender individuals sometimes seek gender confirmation treatments (GCT), including hormone therapy (HT) and/or surgical change of the chest and genitalia ("top" and "bottom" gender confirmation surgeries). These treatments may ameliorate distress resulting from the incongruence between one's physical appearance and gender identity.

Aim: The aim was to examine the degree to which individuals' body-gender congruence, body image satisfaction, depression, and anxiety differed by GCT groups in cohorts of transmasculine (TM) and transfeminine (TF) individuals.

Couple-level Minority Stress: An Examination of Same-sex Couples' Unique Experiences.

Social stress resulting from stigma, prejudice, and discrimination-"minority stress"-negatively impacts sexual minority individuals' health and relational well-being. The present study examined how being in a same-sex couple can result in exposure to unique minority stressors not accounted for at the individual level. Relationship timeline interviews were conducted with 120 same-sex couples equally distributed across two study sites (Atlanta and San Francisco), gender (male and female), and relationship duration (at least six months but less than three years, at least three years but less than seven years, and seven or more years).

Perception of Community Tolerance and Prevalence of Depression among Transgender Persons.

Purpose: The goal of the study was to examine the association between depression and perceived community tolerance after controlling for various demographic and personal characteristics, treatment receipt, and past experiences with abuse or discrimination.

Methods: An on-line survey assessed depressive symptoms among transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. Depression was assessed using the 7-item Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care (BDI-PC) and the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD-10) scale.

Perceptions of Barriers to and Facilitators of Participation in Health Research Among Transgender People.

Although transgender people may be at increased risk for a range of health problems, they have been the subject of relatively little health research. An important step toward expanding the evidence base is to understand and address the reasons for nonparticipation and dropout. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of barriers to and facilitators of participation in health research among a sample of transgender people in San Francisco, CA, and Atlanta, GA.

The Relationship Timeline: A Method for the Study of Shared Lived Experiences in Relational Contexts.

Lifeline methods-graphic illustrations of the pathways of lived experience traveled by individuals from birth to anticipated death-have been useful in the study of lived experience. Existing lifeline methods and research focus on the individual experience; absent from this literature are the collective experiences of those in intimate relationships. In this paper, based on our research with 120 same-sex couples, we present a method to allow for the joint creation of relationship timelines, which serve as the basis for eliciting dyadic data in multiple forms: graphic representations of relationship development through couples' creation of a timeline of key events and periods; qualitative narratives of couples' shared experiences; and quantitative ratings of significant events and periods in their lives together.

Determinants of and Barriers to Hormonal and Surgical Treatment Receipt Among Transgender People.

Medical gender confirmation therapy (GCT) plays an important role in transgender health; however, its prevalence and determinants constitute an area of uncertainty. Data for this cross-sectional study were obtained from an online survey distributed from October 2012 through the end of 2013 among persons who visited the social media sites of a transgender education and social networking meeting. Eligible respondents (=280) were persons whose gender identity was different from their sex assigned at birth and who responded to questions about previously received or planned hormonal therapy (HT), chest reconstruction, or genital surgery.

Decisions About Testing for HIV While in a Relationship: Perspectives From an Urban, Convenience Sample of HIV-Negative Male Couples Who Have a Sexual Agreement.

Many HIV-negative male couples establish a sexual agreement to help manage their HIV risk; however, less is known about their decisions about testing in this context. The present study examined whether male couples discussed HIV testing and explored their decisions about testing in the context of their sexual agreement at the individual- and couple-levels. Qualitative dyadic interview data were collected from 29 HIV-negative male couples with a sexual agreement who resided in Atlanta or Detroit; the sample was stratified by agreement type.

Illuminating the Context and Circumstances of Male Couples Establishing a Sexual Agreement in Their Relationship.

A sexual agreement is an explicit mutual understanding made between two partners about which sexual and relational behaviors they agree to engage in within and/or outside of their relationship. Factors that prompt male couples to form a sexual agreement and under what circumstances remain underinvestigated, yet are important considerations for development of couples-based sexual health and HIV prevention interventions. By using thematic analysis with qualitative dyadic data from a convenience sample of 29 HIV-negative male couples, the present study sought to describe the timing and investigate the context and circumstances that led male couples to establish a sexual agreement in their relationship at both the individual and couple levels, and by agreement type.

Emotional intimate partner violence experienced by men in same-sex relationships.

Intimate partner violence research has focused almost exclusively on physical and sexual intimate partner violence in opposite-sex relationships, paying little attention to the intimate partner violence experienced by men in same-sex relationships. Emerging research focusing on intimate partner violence among male-male couples has focused largely on physical and sexual violence, with little consideration of the unique forms of emotional violence experienced by gay men. Ten focus-group discussions with gay and bisexual men were conducted to examine perceived typologies, antecedents and experiences of emotional violence that occur between male partners.

HIV-negative male couples' attitudes about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and using PrEP with a sexual agreement.

One efficacious strategy to help prevent HIV is oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily regimen of antiretroviral treatment taken by HIV-negative individuals. Two of the recommendations of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for PrEP pertain to being in a relationship (i.e.

Perceived Challenges and Rewards of Forming a Sexual Agreement Among HIV-Negative Male Couples.

Sexual agreements, explicit mutual understandings made between two partners about which sexual and related behaviors they agree to engage in within and/or outside of their relationship, are common among male couples. However, little is known about the perceived rewards and challenges partnered men face in the process of forming a sexual agreement. Such knowledge may be useful for the development of future HIV preventive and sexual health programs that encourage male couples to establish a sexual agreement in their relationship.

In-Person Versus Online Focus Group Discussions: A Comparative Analysis of Data Quality.

Online focus group discussions (FGDs) are becoming popular as a qualitative research method. Methodological examinations regarding the data quality of online versus more traditional in-person FGDs are limited. We compared two online FGDs with two in-person FGDs conducted with gay and bisexual men using a sensitive topic (the experience of intimate partner violence) to examine differences in data quality between the two methods.

Similar Others in Same-Sex Couples' Social Networks.

Same-sex couples experience unique minority stressors. It is known that strong social networks facilitate access to psychosocial resources that help people reduce and manage stress. However, little is known about the social networks of same-sex couples, in particular their connections to other same-sex couples, which is important to understand given that the presence of similar others in social networks can ameliorate social stress for stigmatized populations.