Associations of pregnancy timing relative to the COVID-19 pandemic, maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection, and adverse perinatal outcomes.

Purpose: To examine associations between pregnancy timing relative to the COVID-19 pandemic, maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection, and perinatal outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 189,097 singleton births in South Carolina (2018-2021). Pregnancy timing relative to the pandemic was classified as pre-pandemic (delivered before March 1, 2020), partial pandemic overlap (conceived before and delivered during the pandemic), or pandemic (conceived and delivered during the pandemic).

Adverse childhood experiences, resilience, and syringe services program attendance among persons who inject drugs in Northeast Georgia, USA: A mediation analysis.

Background: Syringe services programs (SSP) are evidence-based venues offering harm reduction services to persons who inject drugs (PWID), such as sterile syringes, STI/HIV testing, and linkage to care to decrease drug use-related morbidities and mortalities. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked with reduced resilience, while increased resilience can help PWID attend SSPs. This study examined the potential mediating role of resilience between ACEs and SSP attendance among PWID.

Mental Health Care Disparities Among US Pregnant Individuals in 2020-2021: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: To examine maternal characteristics associated with perceived unmet mental health needs and mental health care settings, focusing on residential rurality and race/ethnicity.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed self-reported unmet mental health needs and mental health care settings among 1097 pregnant respondents in the 2020-2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, incorporating the complex sampling weights for national representativeness.

Findings: Non-Hispanic Black pregnant individuals and those living in nonmetro rural areas reported lower odds of unmet mental health needs compared to those in large metro areas and non-Hispanic White individuals.

Racial and Ethnic and Rural Variations in the Use of Hybrid Prenatal Care in the US.

Importance: Understanding whether there are racial and ethnic and residential disparities in prenatal telehealth uptake is necessary for ensuring equitable access and guiding implementation of future hybrid (ie, both telehealth and in-person) prenatal care.

Objective: To assess temporal changes in individuals using hybrid prenatal care before and during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) by race and ethnicity and residence location in the US.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study analyzed electronic health record data of prenatal care visits from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative Data Enclave, comprising data from 75 health systems and freestanding institutes in all 50 US states.

Association between substance use disorders and sustained viral suppression: a longitudinal analysis among people with HIV in South Carolina.

Objectives: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a significant public health concern across the United States and may pose a risk to achieving sustained viral suppression (SVS) in people with HIV (PWH). This study aims to examine the association between SUDs and SVS among PWH.

Design: Using electronic health records from the South Carolina Department of Health, we conducted a retrospective study of adults diagnosed with HIV between January 2006 and December 2019.

Real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine in people with HIV compared with a matched HIV-negative cohort: A test-negative design.

Objectives: We estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) against SARS-CoV-2 infection among a statewide cohort of people with HIV (PWH) and compared the estimates with a matched cohort of people without HIV (PWoH) in South Carolina (SC), USA.

Methods: A population-based cohort was retrieved from statewide electronic health records between January 2, 2021, and April 14, 2022, during which several variants were circulating in SC (i.e.

Challenges to School Success Among Children in U.S. Military Families.

Introduction: More than 90% of children in military families attend civilian schools that may lack understanding of the unique experiences and stressors of military life. School success in children of military families has important implications on future academic achievement, health outcomes, and military groups; yet there has not been an examination of challenges of school success among children of military families in the United States using nationally representative data.

Materials And Methods: Data captured in the 2021-2022 National Survey of Children's Health, limited to children aged 6 to 17 years, were used to examine the association between child's caregiver military status and challenges of school success: lack of school engagement measured through caring about school and completing schoolwork, school absenteeism, and grade repetition (n = 60,599).

Coping strategies associated with art adherence among older adults living with HIV, South Carolina.

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) are living longer due to improvements in HIV care including antiretroviral therapy (ART). Even though ART improves HIV prognosis and life expectancy, its adherence is hindered by many factors. As the population of older adults living with HIV (OALH) continues to increase, it is important to understand the psychosocial factors that are associated with living with HIV to improve ART adherence.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health care utilization among people living with HIV: A real-world data study.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted mental health worldwide, particularly among vulnerable populations such as people living with HIV (PLWH). However, large-scale, real-world data on mental health care utilization and associated factors among PLWH remain limited. This study leveraged electronic health records (EHR) and Basics survey data from the All of Us program to explore mental health care utilization and associated factors among PLWH during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Pandemics Collide: Actionable Lessons in HIV Prevention, Treatment and Care During the Era of COVID-19.

The articles in this special issue of AIDS and Behavior focus on the collision between HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 as intersecting pandemics that profoundly impacted communities globally. This editorial highlights the complex interplay between these two public health crises. The pandemic disrupted access to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services, potentially jeopardizing decades of progress.

Long COVID among people with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: People with HIV might be at an increased risk of long COVID (LC) because of their immune dysfunction and chronic inflammation and alterations in immunological responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]). This systematic review aimed to evaluate the association between HIV infection and LC and the prevalence and characteristics of and risk factors for LC among people with HIV.

Methods: Multiple databases, including Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Sociological Abstracts, were searched to identify articles published before June 2023.

COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections Among People With HIV: A Statewide Cohort Analysis.

Objectives: This study aims to identify COVID-19 breakthrough infections among people with HIV (PWH) across different phases of the pandemic and explore whether differential immune dysfunctions are associated with breakthrough infections.

Design And Methods: This retrospective population-based cohort study used data from an integrated electronic health record (EHR) database in South Carolina (SC). Breakthrough infection was defined as the first COVID-19 diagnosis documented in the state agency after the date an individual was fully vaccinated (ie, 2 doses of Pfizer/BNT162b2 or Moderna/mRNA-1273, or 1 dose of Janssen/Ad26.

The relationship between internet gaming disorder, sleeping quality, self-compassion, physical activity participation and psychological distress: A path analysis.

The classification of internet gaming disorder (IGD) as a mental condition for further study in 2013 marked the emerging recognition of potential mental health issues associated with internet and gaming addiction. The COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid growth of gaming technology have combined to increase internet gaming, resulting in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, poor sleep quality and psychological distress. Identifying the complex interplay between internet problem use, sleep disorders and psychological distress is crucial.

Structural Racism and HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Use in the Nationwide US: A County-Level Analysis.

Background: Structural racism contributes to geographical inequalities in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) coverage in the United States (US). This study aims to investigate county-level variability in PrEP utilization across diverse dimensions of structural racism.

Methods: The 2013-2021 nationwide county-level PrEP rate and PrEP-to-need ratio (PNR) data were retrieved from AIDSVu.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and HIV-Related Stigma: A Quantitative Survey of Tanzanian Men, June 2019.

Experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may impact personal opinions, attitudes, and judgments, which can further result in HIV-related stigma. HIV-related stigma consequentially may impact HIV preventive measures such as HIV testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake, and condom use. The extent to which ACEs influence HIV-related stigma perception has not been well studied.

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Compulsive Sexual Behavior Among Men Who Have Sex with Men Newly Diagnosed with HIV.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) continues to be a public health challenge. The prevalence of experiencing CSA is higher among men who have sex with men (MSM) than the general population. CSA has been linked to compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) among varying populations but has not been examined among MSM who were newly diagnosed with HIV.

A multi-informant qualitative analysis of desired features for an mHealth tool for youth living with HIV in South Carolina.

Objective: Youth living with HIV (YLHIV) in the southern United States experience poor outcomes across the HIV care continuum and are at high-risk for virologic failure. This study used a qualitative, community-engaged approach to inform the development of a tailored mobile Health (mHealth) tool for YLHIV in South Carolina (SC).

Methods: Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with YLHIV in SC (n = 16) and their HIV care providers (n = 15).

Child and Adolescent Health in the United States: The Role of Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with poorer health from childhood into adulthood. There has been limited prior research examining the associations between positive childhood experiences (PCEs) and health among children.

Objective: The present study examines the association between PCES and child health, controlling for ACE counts, using a nationally representative sample.