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McMahon JM, Simmons J, Braksmajer A, LeBlanc N. HIV-serodifferent couples' perspectives and practices regarding HIV prevention strategies: A mixed methods study. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 2:e0000620. [PMID: 36962775 PMCID: PMC10022221 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A substantial proportion of heterosexually acquired HIV infections in the U.S. occur between partners in primary relationships characterized by mixed HIV status. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued guidelines prioritizing HIV-serodifferent couples for primary HIV prevention, including treatment-as-prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Yet, very little research has been conducted to understand the perspectives and practices of HIV-serodifferent couples regarding HIV prevention strategies in the U.S. To help fill this gap, we conducted a mixed methods study with 27 mostly Black/African American and Latinx HIV-serodifferent heterosexual couples residing in New York City to explore their knowledge, attitudes, practices, and perspectives regarding combination HIV prevention, including condoms, PrEP and viral control. All couples expressed the desire to maintain viral suppression in the HIV-positive partner, which was not always achieved. There was considerable heterogeneity in the use of HIV prevention methods by couples; and several patterns emerged that were largely driven by gender and relationship dynamics. Female partners, in particular, expressed high levels of anxiety around transmission of HIV and thus desired multiple methods of protection. Healthcare providers should consider couples' psychosocial well-being, relationship quality, and other motivational factors when helping to tailor HIV preventative care for mixed-status couples.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M. McMahon
- School of Nursing, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Janie Simmons
- School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Amy Braksmajer
- Department of Sociology, State University of New York at Geneseo, Geneseo, New York, United States of America
| | - Natalie LeBlanc
- School of Nursing, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States of America
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Baldwin A, Light B, Allison WE. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Infection in Cisgender and Transgender Women in the U.S.: A Narrative Review of the Literature. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2021; 50:1713-1728. [PMID: 34075504 PMCID: PMC8213571 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01903-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Using a socioecological approach, this review describes the peer-reviewed literature on oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among both cisgender (cis women) and transgender women (trans women) in the U.S. A search of the PubMed database and HIV-related conference abstracts generated over 2,200 articles and abstracts. Of these, 103 fulfilled review inclusion criteria. Most of the existing research presents findings on individual-level factors associated with PrEP use such as willingness and perceived barriers. There was far less investigation of factors related to PrEP at more distal ecological levels. Though trans women are at greater risk of HIV infection than cisgender women, less is known about this population group with respect to PrEP despite their inclusion in many major clinical trials. Further, the literature is characterized by a persistent conflation of sex and gender which makes it difficult to accurately assess the reviewed research on HIV prevention and PrEP apart from risk group. Informed by these findings, we highlight specific opportunities to improve access to PrEP and reduce socioecological barriers to PrEP care engagement for cisgender and transgender women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleta Baldwin
- Department of Public Health, California State University, Sacramento, Solano Hall 3014, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA, 95819, USA.
| | - Brenda Light
- School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Waridibo E Allison
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
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Huang J, Lin D, Yu NX. Variations in Dyadic Adjustment Among Heterosexual HIV-Discordant Couples in Rural China: A Latent Profile Analysis. AIDS Patient Care STDS 2019; 33:323-335. [PMID: 31194573 DOI: 10.1089/apc.2019.0026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The systemic framework of resilience and dyadic perspective of couple coping suggests that HIV-discordant couples may show heterogeneous profiles of dyadic adjustment, shaped by contextual risks and resources. This study aimed to identify heterogeneous profiles of dyadic adjustment and thus investigate the expression of resilience among 159 heterosexual HIV-discordant couples in rural China. We hypothesized that the couples could be grouped into distinct profiles: both members showing poor well-being, both members showing good well-being, and discrepant well-being across the two members. A latent profile analysis classified the couples into three subgroups based on well-being, which was measured using the World Health Organization Well-Being Index. As expected, one subgroup, labeled Maladapted Couples (n = 58, 36.5%), reported poor well-being in both people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and the seronegative spouse. The second subgroup, labeled Resilient Couples (n = 50, 31.4%), was characterized by relatively good well-being in both partners. In the third subgroup, labeled Maladapted PLWHA and Resilient Spouses (n = 51, 32.1%), the PLWHA showed poor well-being, while the seronegative spouses demonstrated good well-being. The identified subgroups were validated against external well-being measures, including depression and self-rated health measures. Exploratory analyses identified distinct patterns of contextual risks (including HIV stigma and financial difficulties) and resource factors (including individual resources and relational resources) across the subgroups. These findings underscore the heterogeneity of adjustment among heterosexual HIV-discordant couples in rural China and suggest the potential usefulness of services tailored to specific subgroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiasheng Huang
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Danhua Lin
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Nancy Xiaonan Yu
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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Green HD, Weeks MR, Berman M, Mosher HI, Abbott M, Garcia N. Managing the risk of intimacy: accounts of disclosure and responsiveness among people with HIV and intimate partners of people with HIV. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2018; 20:1117-1129. [PMID: 29944072 PMCID: PMC6399062 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2018.1479535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
It is well known that concerns about sexual risk tend to decline among people in intimate relationships where there is established commitment and trust. In the context of relationships at increased risk for HIV transmission, interactions involving disclosure and partner responsiveness are key to maintaining intimacy and physical safety. This paper explores concepts of risk and sexual intimacy articulated by a community sample of 30 people living with HIV and their intimate relationship partners. Data revealed the shifts in intimate relationship dynamics upon the disclosure of an HIV diagnosis, the importance of intimacy in the context of managing one or both partners' HIV care and responses to new advances in HIV prophylaxis. Findings suggest that participants' experiences of self-disclosure and partner responsiveness most often resulted in an increased sense of protectiveness from and for partners. This suggests that health-promoting messaging should be adapted to be more relevant to intimate couple communication and mutual support.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marcie Berman
- The Institute for Community Research, Hartford, CT, USA
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Persson A, Newman CE, Ellard J. Breaking Binaries? Biomedicine and Serostatus Borderlands among Couples with Mixed HIV Status. Med Anthropol 2017; 36:699-713. [PMID: 28323441 DOI: 10.1080/01459740.2017.1298594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
With recent breakthroughs in HIV treatment and prevention, the meanings of HIV-positivity and HIV-negativity are changing at biomedical and community levels. We explore how binary constructions of HIV serostatus identities are giving way to something more complex that brings both welcome possibilities and potential concerns. We draw on research with couples with mixed HIV status to argue that, in the context of lived experiences, serostatus identities have always been more ambiguous than allowed for in HIV discourse. However, their supposed dichotomous quality seems even more dubious now in view of contemporary biomedical technologies. Invoking the anthropological concept of "borderlands," we consider how biomedicine is generating more diverse serostatus identities, widening the options for how to live with HIV, and eroding the stigmatizing serostatus binary that has haunted the epidemic. But we also ask whether this emerging borderland, and its "normalizing" tendencies, is concomitantly giving rise to new and troubling binaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asha Persson
- a Centre for Social Research in Health , UNSW Australia , Kensington, Sydney , NSW , Australia
| | - Christy E Newman
- a Centre for Social Research in Health , UNSW Australia , Kensington, Sydney , NSW , Australia
| | - Jeanne Ellard
- b Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society , La Trobe University , Melbourne , Australia
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Mosack KE, Stevens PE, Brouwer AM, Wendorf AR. Shared Illness and Social Support Within Two HIV-Affected African American Communities. QUALITATIVE HEALTH RESEARCH 2016; 26:1495-1507. [PMID: 26515921 DOI: 10.1177/1049732315612044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
A key source of resiliency within HIV-affected African American communities is informal social support. Data from dyadic conversations and focus groups were used to address the following research question: What are HIV-positive African Americans' social support experiences within their informal social networks in response to HIV-related problems? Circumstances that exacerbated HIV-related problems included others' fear of contagion, reticence to be involved, judgment and rejection, and disregard for privacy Support from HIV-negative others buffered the impact of problems when others communicate interest, take the initiative to help, or make a long-term investment in their success. Support from other HIV-positive persons was helpful given the shared connection because of HIV, the opportunity to commiserate about what is mutually understood, and the fight for mutual survival Based on these findings, we offer suggestions for future research and social network interventions aimed at bolstering connections between HIV-positive peers, reducing stigma, and improving family support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie E Mosack
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | | | | | - Angela R Wendorf
- University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
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