Psychol Sex Orientat Gend Divers
September 2024
This study examines the experience of a unique minority stressor, gender identity invalidation (henceforth referred to as invalidation), which is defined as the refusal to accept someone's gender identity as real or valid, among transgender and nonbinary (TNB) individuals. Data are drawn from a large and diverse sample of TNB adults who participated in a quantitative survey concerning transgender identity, minority stress, and mental health ( = 302). Invalidation was assessed using a novel 17-item scale that ascertains the extent to which respondents experienced invalidation across different social contexts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) was US Food and Drug Administration-approved in 2021. However, little is known about providers' CAB-LA knowledge, attitudes, challenges, and prescribing preferences for transgender women patients. Understanding this is critical to developing new pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) interventions tailored to transgender women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransgender women are disproportionately burdened by HIV. Though there is a substantial body of research exploring barriers and facilitators of HIV prevention among transgender women, many barriers remain unaddressed. This study identifies strategies to make HIV prevention trials more congruent with transgender women's preferences and needs to boost trial participation and ultimately enhance initiation and uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeer-to-peer chain recruitment has been used for descriptive studies, but few intervention studies have employed it. We used this method to enroll sexually active women ages 18 to 25 into an online Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) information and motivation intervention pilot in eThekwini (Durban), South Africa. Seeds (N = 16) were recruited by study staff and randomized to Masibambane, Ladies Chat, a Gender-Enhanced group-based WhatsApp Workshop (GE), or Individual-Access (IA), a control condition that provided participants with online information/motivation materials only.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: With few psychometrically evaluated HIV-related stigma measures for adolescents and young adults living with HIV, we examined the developmental applicability (ie, validity) of 2 subscales of the commonly used stigma measure, the Social Impact Scale, among a cohort of adolescents and young adults with perinatally acquired HIV.
Setting: Data were obtained from a New York City longitudinal study (N = 340). This study primarily comprised Black and Latinx adolescents and young adults with either perinatally acquired HIV or those with perinatal exposure but who are uninfected.
Introduction: Traumatic events (TEs) in early life can precede adult psychopathology. Limited research exists on this relationship in young adults with perinatally acquired HIV-infection (PHIV) or perinatal HIV-exposure without infection (PHEU), who often experience social and health disparities. This study examined TEs experienced in childhood/adolescence and their association with psychiatric and substance use disorders in young adults with PHIV and PHEU.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present experiences of transgender women (TW) who have sex with men with SMARTtest, a smartphone app to accompany the INSTI Multiplex, a one-minute, dual blood-based HIV/syphilis rapid test. TW participants (N = 11) received 10 INSTI Multiplex tests to take home for self- and/or partner-testing and installed the SMARTtest app on their phones. The SMARTtest app aimed to support INSTI Multiplex users in correctly performing the test, interpreting the results, and connecting with care following a positive HIV or syphilis screening.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTenofovir diphosphate (TFV-DP) concentrations in dried blood spots (DBS) predict viral breakthrough, but their use remains understudied in real-world clinic settings. This pilot study examined acceptability, feasibility, and initial adherence outcomes of providing adherence feedback using TFV-DP concentrations on patient- and provider-levels in Cape Town, South Africa. We enrolled 60 persons with HIV (PWH) receiving tenofovir-containing ART attending a primary health clinic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Acquir Immune Defic Syndr
August 2023
Background: Electronic adherence (EA) and tenofovir diphosphate (TFV-DP) in dried blood spots (DBS) are objective measures of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. We characterized the association between these measures in a prospective cohort of persons with HIV (PWH) on ART.
Setting: Four primary health clinics in Cape Town, South Africa.
Given poor adherence to treatment and prevention techniques, condomless sex jeopardizes adolescents and young adults (AYA) with perinatally-acquired HIV-infection (PHIV) or perinatal HIV-exposure who are uninfected (PHEU). We examined condomless sex and its association with PHIV-status, psychiatric disorder, and sociodemographics. Data come from a US-based study of primarily Black and Latinx AYAPHIV and AYAPHEU (N = 340).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article describes the processes of transforming an in-person group-based intervention to promote uptake of PrEP among young woman in South Africa to an online interactive "workshop" during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in person and continuing virtually, we used a step-by-step participatory approach with multiple stakeholder groups to develop nine activities to increase knowledge about, as well as motivation and intention to take PrEP, and to address gender-based barriers to PrEP. Activities were informed by our theoretical framework and formative work with young women ages 18-25.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Deficits in neurocognitive functioning are common among adolescents and young adults (AYA) with perinatally acquired HIV (PHIV). Limitations of traditional neuropsychological tests hinder assessment of neurocognition in low- and middle-income countries where most AYA with PHIV reside. Computerized testing could make assessment of neurocognition more accessible in these countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCisgender men who have sex with men (cMSM) and transgender women (TGW) are disproportionally burdened by HIV. Among these populations, HIV partner-testing is a highly acceptable harm reduction tool. Particularly, cMSM and TGW report a stronger preference for blood-based tests that include assays for multiple STIs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Gender-based stigma is a fundamental cause of mental health disparities among transgender and non-binary (TGNB) individuals, while resilience factors may be protective. We examined prospective relationships between gender-based enacted stigma, psychological distress, and resilience factors among TGNB individuals.
Methods: Between 2016 and 2017, we enrolled 330 TGNB individuals in three metropolitan areas in the U.
HIV/syphilis self- and partner-testing may be especially appropriate for transgender women, since they shoulder a disproportionate burden of HIV, other STIs (e.g., syphilis), and report high levels of medical mistrust.
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