Psychometric Properties of Measuring Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Young Latino Sexual Minority Men With HIV: Ecological Momentary Assessment and Electronic Pill Dispenser Study.

Background: Increasing HIV rates among young Latino sexual minority men (YLSMM) warrant innovative and rigorous studies to assess prevention and treatment strategies. Ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) and electronic pill dispensers (EPDs) have been used to measure antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence repeatedly in real time and in participants' natural environments, but their psychometric properties among YLSMM are unknown.

Objective: The study's objective was to assess the concurrent validity, acceptability, compliance, and behavioral reactivity of EMAs and EPDs among YLSMM with HIV.

Medical-Legal Partnerships: a promising approach for addressing health-harming legal needs among people with HIV.

Introduction: People with HIV (PWH), particularly those at the intersection of sexual and gender identities, face enduring obstacles to accessing HIV care, including structural stigma, structural racism and discrimination, housing instability, and limited access to health insurance. To address these challenges, Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLPs) in HIV care offer an innovative approach that integrates medical and legal services. By targeting health-harming legal needs (HHLN), MLPs aim to enhance the HIV care continuum outcomes for PWH.

Youth participation in substance use prevention: A national profile, 2011-2019.

Purpose: Prevention efforts are critical to avoid the negative consequences of substance use in adolescents. This study aimed to examine national trends and sociodemographic differences in adolescents' participation in school-based substance use prevention (SUP) education, community-based SUP programs, as well as family conversations about substance use.

Methods: Publicly available data for adolescents aged 12-17 from the annual cross-sectional surveys of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2011-2019 were analyzed.

Widening Gaps and Disparities in the Treatment of Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders.

Introduction: The overall prevalence of alcohol use disorders and drug use disorders in adolescents has been declining in recent years, yet little is known about treatment use for these disorders among adolescents. This study aimed to examine the patterns and demographics of treatment of alcohol use disorders, drug use disorders, and both conditions among U.S.

Medical-legal partnerships: An integrated approach to advance health equity and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV.

Medical Legal Partnerships (MLPs) offer a structural integrated intervention that could facilitate improvements in medical and psychosocial outcomes among people living with HIV (PLWH). Through legal aid, MLPs can ensure that patients are able to access HIV services in a culturally sensitive environment. We conducted organizational-level qualitative research rooted in grounded theory, consisting of key informant interviews with MLP providers ( = 19) and members of the Scientific Collaborative Board (SCB; = 4), site visits to agencies with MLPs ( = 3), and meetings ( = 4) with members of the SCB.

More than just oral PrEP: exploring interest in rectal douche, dissolvable implant, removable implant and injection HIV prevention approaches among racially diverse men who have sex with men in the Northeast Corridor.

Objectives: HIV scholars and practitioners have worked to expand strategies for prevention among marginalised populations who are disproportionately impacted by the epidemic, such as racial minority men who have sex with men (MSM). Given this urgency, the objective of this study was to assess interest in biomedical prevention strategies.

Methods: This exploratory and cross-sectional study investigated interest in four biomedical prevention tools-rectal douche, dissolvable implant, removable implant and injection-among a racially diverse sample of MSM from the Northeast Corridor region between Philadelphia and Trenton.

Examination of Young US Adults' Reasons for Not Seeking Mental Health Care for Depression, 2011-2019.

This survey study uses data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to examine trends and patterns in young adults’ perceived reasons for not seeking treatment for depression.

Trends and Disparities in Treatment for Co-occurring Major Depression and Substance Use Disorders Among US Adolescents From 2011 to 2019.

Importance: Major depression and substance use disorders (SUD) commonly co-occur among adolescents, yet little is known about treatment use among adolescents with both conditions. Given the reciprocal influence of these conditions on each other and low prevalence of treatment overall, current information on quantification and trends in treatment of co-occurring depression and SUD is critical toward assessing how the field is performing in reaching youth in need of these services, and among youth with sociodemographic risk factors.

Objective: To examine temporal trends and sociodemographic disparities in the treatment of co-occurring major depression and SUD among US adolescents.

Provider Comfort with Prescribing HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis to Adolescents.

In the United States, Black and Latinx youth remain disproportionately affected by HIV. Oral antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a proven effective HIV prevention strategy. PrEP is approved for use in people younger than the age of 18 years, but little is known about provider comfort and preparedness with prescribing it to adolescents.

Internalised stigma as durable social determinant of HIV care for transnational patients of Puerto Rican ancestry.

Intersectional stigmas have been contributing barriers to linkage and retention in HIV care for Latinx communities. Our analysis examines whether reductions in HIV-related and other stigmas were associated (or not) with progression on the HIV continuum of care for Puerto Ricans living with HIV, patients of the U.S.

Barriers and Facilitators for Mental Health Service Use Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Literature.

Mental disorders represent serious public health concerns in the U.S. Compared with Whites, racial/ethnic minority adolescents are more likely to be affected by mental disorders but less likely to use mental health services.

A qualitative study of antiretroviral therapy adherence interruptions among young Latino men who have sex with men with HIV: Project D.A.I.L.Y.

Consistent antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence is necessary for HIV viral suppression. However, adherence may fluctuate around daily routines and life events, warranting intervention support. We examined reasons for ART adherence interruptions, using in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews, among young (18-34-year-old) Latino men who have sex with men (YLMSM) with HIV.

"En la Lucha": Strategies to Improve HIV Care for Puerto Ricans with Opioids Use Disorders.

Background: Clínica Bienestar is a comprehensive HIV primary care clinic for Spanish-speaking Latinx with opioids use disorders (OUD). This article describes the barriers and trajectories to HIV viral suppression for Puerto Ricans with a transnational profile and dual diagnoses (HIV and OUD), and the strategies applied to increase retention in care.

Methods: Case study methodology was used to select two patient life histories that illustrate the most common pathways to success in reducing HIV viral load to undetectable and achieving OUD long-term recovery.

Examining the impact of medical legal partnerships in improving outcomes on the HIV care continuum: rationale, design and methods.

Background: Over the past two decades, we have seen a nationwide increase in the use of medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) to address health disparities affecting vulnerable populations. These partnerships increase medical teams' capacity to address social and environmental threats to patients' health, such as unsafe housing conditions, through partnership with legal professionals. Despite expansions in the use of MLP care models in health care settings, the health outcomes efficacy of MLPs has yet to be examined, particularly for complex chronic conditions such as HIV.

Ethnic and Racial Specificity, or Not, in Bisexuality Research: A Practical Commentary.

This commentary focuses on reflecting on how we, as bisexuality researchers, consider the effects of, and contribute toward addressing, systemic racism and ethnic discrimination affecting bisexual individuals in different global contexts. This commentary is intended to provoke critical thinking among bisexuality and other sex researchers on how we may best consider (or not) racism and ethnic oppression when dealing with ethnically, racially, or culturally diverse bisexual samples of individuals. In this commentary, I argue that current social and behavioral science researchers who focus on bisexuality tend to follow one or more of the following three approaches: a "color blind" approach, an inclusive approach or, a racially-ethnically specific approach.

How gender norms are reinforced through violence against adolescent girls in two conflict-affected populations.

Violence against women and girls is a global concern, and particularly salient in humanitarian settings. Successful efforts to prevent gender-based violence in humanitarian settings must address a wide range of issues, from discriminatory laws to explicit community support for violence, and yet, at the core of these efforts is reducing oppressive gender and social norms. This study examined local attitudes towards and social norms around responding to physical and sexual abuse of girls through interviews conducted with adolescent girls (n = 66) and with caregivers (n = 58) among two conflict-affected populations: villages in South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudanese and South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopian camps.

How Narratives of Fear Shape Girls' Participation in Community Life in Two Conflict-Affected Populations.

Numerous social factors shape girls' lives in conflict-affected settings, affecting their vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV). Qualitative research methods were used to examine spaces of perceived safety and risk for girls living in two conflict-affected populations: camps in Ethiopia hosting primarily South Sudanese and Sudanese refugees and communities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Three major themes emerged: (a) challenges around caregiver-child communication regarding development, sex, and sexual violence; (b) a typology of safe/risky spaces; and (c) the influence of male-dominated spaces on experiences and fear of GBV.

Long-term health outcomes of childhood sexual abuse and peer sexual contact among an urban sample of behaviourally bisexual Latino men.

While previous research indicates high rates of childhood sexual abuse among Latino men who have sex with men, few studies have examined the long-term health outcomes of childhood sexual abuse specifically among behaviourally bisexual Latino men. In a sample of 148 behaviourally bisexual Latino men in New York City, we examined associations between childhood sexual abuse and multiple dimensions of adult health: sexual risk behaviours; sexually transmitted infections incidence; polydrug use; depressive symptoms; and perceived stress. We compared outcomes between those with histories of childhood sexual abuse, those reporting peer sexual contact prior to age 13 and those with no sexual contact prior to age 13.

Exploring the Roles of Race, Ethnicity, Nationality, and Skin Color in the Sexual Partner Choices of Bisexual Latino Men.

Racial and ethnic differences are well-documented social factors shaping sexual interactions. However, these racial/ethnic dynamics have been mostly overlooked in the context of sexual fluidity, specifically for bisexual individuals. Furthermore, there is limited literature on how sexual objectification based on skin color and ethnicity, factors well documented to influence individual's sexual partnering decision, might be different for male, female, and/or transgender partners of bisexual individuals.

The Assets and Challenges of Formerly Incarcerated Latino Men's Social Support Networks in Promoting Healthy Behaviors.

After being exposed to high-risk environments in correctional facilities, formerly incarcerated Latino men (FILM) encounter new risks upon reentering their community of residence including drug use and sexual risk behaviors. Families and close social support networks are critical in potentially mitigating the stressors and risks associated with reentry and reducing the likelihood of recidivism. We conducted a study to examine the material and cognitive assets that familial networks can use to provide support to FILM to engage in health-promoting practices.