Armed conflict effects in intimate partner violence: Revealing pathways using the socioecological framework.

We explored women's narratives about their experiences as victim-survivors of multiple forms of armed conflict violence and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Colombia and examined pathways that clarify the relationships between these two types of violence. Thematic analysis of 47 interviews identified connections that explain how armed conflict influences IPV at all levels of the socio-ecology. At the societal level, armed conflict events amplified patriarchal notions and intensified men's expressions of hypermasculinity through violence.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Multilevel Intervention Sequences on "Tension" Among Men Living with HIV: A Randomized-Control Trial.

Background: Tension (often times called "Tenshun" in Hindi) is a cultural expression used to convey feelings of distress and common mental disorders in India and among South Asia communities. This study compared the effectiveness of different intervention sequences in reducing tension among alcohol-consuming men living with HIV in India.

Method: This secondary data analysis paper utilized data from a randomized trial study titled "Alcohol and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Adherence: Assessment, Intervention, and Modeling in India.

Resilience Among Small Community-based Organizations During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights for Future Public Health Crises.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has created numerous challenges for many community-based organizations to sustain delivery of services and programs. This paper offers perspectives from leadership of three small community-based organizations serving diverse populations in the Hartford, Connecticut, region on how they were impacted and responded to disruptions during the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Community-based organizations' commitment to the populations they serve and agility with regard to programming, staffing, and finances were highlighted as key to their resilience, enabling them to serve their clients with stability.

Longitudinal trajectories of depressive symptoms among alcohol consuming men with HIV in India.

Background: Depression and alcohol use are common among people living with HIV (PLWH) and associated with adverse outcomes. However, there is a paucity of studies exploring trajectories of depressive symptom presence over time among alcohol consuming men PLWH.

Methods: Men PLWH were repeatedly assessed for depressive symptoms from baseline through 27 months using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale.

Assessing Barriers and Utilization of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services among Female Migrant Workers in Vietnam.

Young migrant women workers frequently experience disparities in accessing health services, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, especially in urban settings. This study assesses the barriers and utilization of SRH services and explores factors associated with the utilization of these services among young female migrant workers working in the industrial zone (IZ) in Vietnam. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1061 young women migrant workers working in an IZ in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The mediation effects of sexual self-efficacy in the relationship between psychosocial wellbeing and depressive symptoms among female migrant workers in Vietnam.

Background: Depression is a common mental disorder that significantly contributes to the global burden of disease. Studies have consistently reported that migrant workers experience higher levels of depressive symptoms, especially women.

Aims: This study aimed to examine the mediation role of sexual self-efficacy on the relationship between psychological wellbeing, and depressive symptoms among young female migrant workers in Vietnam's industrial zones.

Describing Natural History and Exploring Risk Factors for Kidney Function Decline in Persons With CKD of Uncertain Etiology in Sri Lanka.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) is a leading cause of death of adults in Sri Lanka's dry region.

Methods: We initiated the Kidney Progression Project (KiPP) to prospectively follow 292 persons with Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 20 to 60 ml/min per 1.73 m living in a CKDu endemic area.

The Mediating Effect of Changes in Depression Symptoms on the Relationship between Health-Related Quality of Life and Alcohol Consumption: Findings from a Longitudinal Study among Men Living with HIV in India.

Heavy alcohol use is negatively affecting antiretroviral therapy adherence, mental health and health-related quality of life among people living with HIV (PLWH). This paper aims to test the mediation model examining whether changes in depression symptoms mediate in the relationship between health-related quality of life and alcohol use among male PLWH who consume alcohol in India. The study is guided by the stress-coping model, which posits that individuals facing stress may turn to maladaptive coping mechanisms such as alcohol use to alleviate their distress, which includes depression and a low health-related quality of life due to various physical, psychological, and social factors associated with the HIV infection.

Alcohol Use, HIV Stigma and Quality of Life Among Alcohol Consuming Men Living with HIV in India: A Mediation Analysis.

This study examined the hypothesis that HIV-related stigma mediates the effect of alcohol use on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among alcohol consuming Indian men living with HIV (PLWH). The study used baseline data from a randomized controlled clinical trial entitled 'Alcohol and ART adherence: Assessment, Intervention, and Modeling in India. Participants completed surveys assessing demographic characteristics, alcohol use, HIV-related stigma, HRQoL.

Sexual Risk Behaviors, HIV Prevalence and Access to Reproductive Health Services Among Young Women Migrant Workers in the Industrial Zones in Vietnam.

Young migrant workers working in the industrial zones (IZ) in low and middle-income countries are at risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. This study examines the sex-related risks of young women migrant workers in the IZ in Vietnam. This cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,061 young migrant women working in the IZ park in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Multilevel and Multifactorial Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Consumption and Improve ART Adherence and Related Factors Among HIV Positive Men in Mumbai, India.

Alcohol use has a deleterious effect on the health status of persons living with HIV, negatively affecting antiretroviral adherence and increasing the risk of transmission. Alcohol use is not an isolated behavior but intimately linked to stigma and poor psychological status among other factors. This paper utilizes a crossover design to test the efficacy of three multilevel interventions, individual counselling (IC), group intervention (GI) and collective advocacy (CA) for change, among HIV positive males who consume alcohol, treated at five ART Centers in urban Maharashtra, India.

Data on early assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral responses to COVID-19 among Connecticut residents.

The survey dataset presented in this article examines COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, perceived risk and adoption of prevention behaviors. The survey was conducted anonymously among non-random sample of 464 Connecticut residents in the early stage of social distancing and shutdown from March 23 to March 29, 2020. The questionnaires included five major groups of questions.

A multilevel intervention to reduce stigma among alcohol consuming men living with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy: findings from a randomized control trial in India.

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of a multilevel intervention to reduce HIV stigma among alcohol consuming men living with HIV in India.

Design: A crossover randomized controlled trial in four sites.

Setting: Government ART centres (ARTCs) offering core services in the greater Mumbai area.

Modeling HIV Transmission from Sexually Active Alcohol-Consuming Men in ART Programs to Seronegative Wives.

Background: The rollout of antiviral therapy in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) has reduced HIV transmission rates at the potential risk of resistant HIV transmission. We sought to predict the risk of wild type and antiviral resistance transmissions in these settings.

Methods: A predictive model utilizing viral load, ART adherence, genital ulcer disease, condom use, and sexual event histories was developed to predict risks of HIV transmission to wives of 233 HIV+ men in 4 antiretroviral treatment centers in Maharashtra, India.

Viral load outcomes in a cohort of alcohol-consuming people living with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy in Mumbai, India.

We examined the association between alcohol consumption, adherence and viral load (VL) in a cohort of 940 alcohol-consuming, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive men receiving antiretroviral therapy in Mumbai. Some of the participants (16.7%) had missed >1 doses in the last four days and 17.

Prospective Biopsy-Based Study of CKD of Unknown Etiology in Sri Lanka.

Background And Objectives: A kidney disease of unknown cause is common in Sri Lanka's lowland (dry) region. Detailed clinical characterizations of patients with biopsy-proven disease are limited, and there is no current consensus on criteria for a noninvasive diagnosis.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: We designed a prospective study in a major Sri Lankan hospital servicing endemic areas to ascertain pathologic and clinical characteristics of and assess risk factors for primary tubulointerstitial kidney disease.

Depression Among Alcohol Consuming, HIV Positive Men on ART Treatment in India.

Depression, as well as other psychosocial factors, remains largely unaddressed among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in low and middle-income countries. Depression is a common occurrence among PLHIV and is elevated in those who consume alcohol. This paper will document the presence of depressive symptoms in alcohol-consuming male PLHIV receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) in India.

Evaluating Alternative Designs of a Multilevel HIV Intervention in Maharashtra, India: The Impact of Stakeholder Constraints.

Multilevel interventions combine individual component interventions, and their design can be informed by decision analysis. Our objective was to identify the optimal combination of interventions for alcohol-using HIV+ individuals on antiretroviral drug therapy in Maharashtra, India, explicitly considering stakeholder constraints. Using an HIV simulation, we evaluated the expected net monetary benefit (ENMB), the probability of lying on the efficiency frontier (PEF), and annual program costs of 5,836 unique combinations of 15 single-focused HIV risk-reduction interventions.

Mediating risk through young women's marital arrangements and intimate relationships in low-income communities in urban India.

This paper draws on ethnographic data collected from two low-income communities in Mumbai India to explore types of risk and intimacy associated with marital practices. A rapidly globalising India offers access to media, social networks and changing gender norms that create opportunities for young women. Concurrently, enduring patriarchal norms impact marriage and the development of intimacy.

Sexual intimacy and marital relationships in a low-income urban community in India.

Data from a six-year study of married women's sexual health in a low-income community in Mumbai indicated that almost half the sample of 1125 women reported that they had a negative view of sex with their husbands. Qualitative interviews and quantitative survey data identified several factors that contributed to this diminished interest including: a lack of foreplay, forced sex, the difficulty of achieving privacy in crowded dwellings, poor marital relationships and communication, a lack of facilities for post-sex ablution and a strong desire to avoid conception. Women's coping strategies to avoid husband's demands for sex included refusal based on poor health, the presence of family members in the home and non-verbal communication.

Kidney progression project (KiPP): Protocol for a longitudinal cohort study of progression in chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology in Sri Lanka.

Over the last two decades, a global epidemic of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) has emerged in rural, arid, agricultural, lowland areas. Endemic regions have reported 15 to 20% prevalence among residents aged 30-60 years. CKDu is a progressive and irreversible disease resulting in renal failure and death in the absence of dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Identifying the Intersection of Alcohol, Adherence and Sex in HIV Positive Men on ART Treatment in India Using an Adapted Timeline Followback Procedure.

People living with HIV (PLHIV) on anti-retroviral treatment (ART) who drink are less adherent and more likely to engage in unprotected sex but the connections among these events are correlational. Using an adapted Timeline Follow-Back (A-TLFB) procedure, this paper examines the day by day interface of alcohol, medication adherence and sex to provide a fine grained understanding of how multiple behavioral risks coincide in time and space, explores concordance/discordance of measures with survey data and identifies potential recall bias. Data are drawn from a survey of behavior, knowledge and attitudes, and a 30 day TLFB assessment of multiple risk behaviors adapted for the Indian PLHIV context, administered to 940 alcohol-consuming, HIV positive men on ART at the baseline evaluation stage of a multilevel, multi-centric intervention study.

The Role of Alcohol on Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Persons Living With HIV in Urban India.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use among men living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and examine the association of alcohol use and psychosocial variables on ART adherence. The study was a cross-sectional survey supplemented by medical records and qualitative narratives as a part of the initial formative stage of a multilevel, multicentric intervention and evaluation project.

Method: A screening instrument was administered to men living with HIV (n = 3,088) at four ART Centers using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-consumption questions (AUDIT-C) to determine alcohol use for study eligibility.

Betting on the fastest horse: Using computer simulation to design a combination HIV intervention for future projects in Maharashtra, India.

Objective: To inform the design of a combination intervention strategy targeting HIV-infected unhealthy alcohol users in Maharashtra, India, that could be tested in future randomized control trials.

Methods: Using probabilistic compartmental simulation modeling we compared intervention strategies targeting HIV-infected unhealthy alcohol users on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Maharashtra, India. We tested interventions targeting four behaviors (unhealthy alcohol consumption, risky sexual behavior, depression and antiretroviral adherence), in three formats (individual, group based, community) and two durations (shorter versus longer).