Trauma-Informed Practices to Address Intersections Between HIV and Intimate Partner Violence Among Women: Perspective of Community Service Providers

Implementing Trauma-Informed Care-Settings, Definitions, Interventions, Measures, and Implementation across Settings: A Scoping Review

Traumatic experiences can have long-lasting negative effects on individuals, organizations, and societies. If trauma is not addressed, it can create unsafe cultures with constant arousal, untrusting relationships, and the use of coercive measures. Trauma-informed care (TIC) can play a central role in mitigating these negative consequences, but it is unknown how and in which way(s) TIC should be implemented. Our objective was to conduct a scoping review that systematically explored and mapped research conducted in this area and to identify existing knowledge about the implementation of TIC. The search was conducted on the CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, ERIC, Medline, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases, and more than 3000 empirical papers, published between 2000 and 2022, were identified. Following further screening, we included 157 papers in our review, which were mainly from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, focusing on study settings, methodologies, and definitions of TIC, as well as the types of interventions and measures used. This review shows that TIC is a complex and multifaceted framework, with no overarching structure or clear theoretical underpinnings that can guide practical implementations. TIC has been defined and adapted in varied ways across different settings and populations, making it difficult to synthesize knowledge. A higher level of agreement on how to operationalize and implement TIC in international research could be important in order to better examine its impact and broaden the approach.

Prevalence and Social-Structural Correlates of Gender-Based Violence Against Women Living With HIV in Metro Vancouver, Canada

Violence experienced by cisgender (cis) and gender minority women living with HIV is known to be high. More work is needed to better understand how to support women living with HIV who have experienced violence. The objectives of this study are therefore to identify the prevalence and correlates of violence by any perpetrator among women living with HIV in a Canadian setting. Data were drawn from 9 years (January, 2010 to February, 2019) of a longitudinal community-based open cohort study of 350+ cis and trans women living with HIV who were living and/or accessed care in Metro Vancouver, Canada (Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS: Women's Longitudinal Needs Assessment "SHAWNA"). Participants completed baseline and biannual follow-up interviews. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression with generalized estimating equations (GEE) were performed to identify correlates of recent (last 6 months) violence (physical and/or sexual) by any perpetrator. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) are presented. At baseline, prevalence of violence was high: 95.5% (recent = 19.4%) of participants reported lifetime physical and/or sexual violence, 94.8% (recent = 17.9%) reported lifetime physical violence, and 84.5% (recent = 5.7%) reported lifetime sexual violence. In multivariable logistic regression with GEE, the following variables were associated with higher odds of recent physical/sexual violence: youth (<30 years) (AOR: 1.60, 95% CI [1.15, 2.22]), recent unstable housing/homelessness (AOR: 1.96, 95% CI [1.30, 2.97]), recent food insecurity (AOR: 1.57, 95% CI [1.13, 2.17]), recent incarceration (AOR: 1.85, 95% CI [1.18, 2.91]), recent opioid use (AOR: 1.38, 95% CI [1.04, 1.82]), recent stimulant use (AOR: 2.48, 95% CI [1.72, 3.56]), and lifetime HIV status disclosure without consent (AOR: 1.59, 95% CI [1.13, 2.24]). Trauma- and violence-informed (TVI) policies that include a focus on confidentiality and safe disclosure practices should be integrated into existing housing, incarceration, and harm reduction programs, and HIV care and practice for women living with HIV. Programs and policies that address high levels of violence remain critical.

Mechanisms linking gender-based violence to worse HIV treatment and care outcomes among women in the United States

OBJECTIVE

To test whether substance use mediates the associations between gender-based violence (GBV) and suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and GBV and poor engagement in care, among women living with HIV (WLHIV) in the United States (US).

DESIGN

We analyzed longitudinal data collected among 1717 WLHIV in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS).

METHODS

From 2013 to 2017, WLHIV completed semi-annual assessments on GBV, substance use, and HIV treatment and care. Adjusted multilevel logistic regression models were built to estimate the impact of GBV on; suboptimal (<95%) adherence and at least one missed HIV care appointment without rescheduling in the past 6 months. Mediation analyses were performed to test whether heavy drinking and illicit drug use mediated the associations between GBV and the two HIV outcomes.

RESULTS

The mean age was 47 (standard deviation = 9), 5% reported experiencing GBV, 17% reported suboptimal adherence and 15% reported at least one missed appointment in the past 6 months. Women who experienced GBV had a significantly higher odds of suboptimal adherence [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.40-2.83] and missed appointments (aOR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.32-2.33). Heavy drinking and illicit drug use mediated 36 and 73% of the association between GBV and suboptimal adherence and 29 and 65% of the association between GBV and missed appointments, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Substance use is an underlying mechanism through which GBV affects outcomes along the HIV care continuum among WLHIV in the US. To optimize HIV treatment and care among women, interventions should address the combined epidemics of substance use, violence, and HIV.

Parenting in matched pairs of women of color experiencing intimate partner violence and living with and without HIV

This study explored the associations between depression and parenting among women of color with low income levels who were exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV. Participants were 60 Black, multiracial, and Hispanic/Latina mothers (Mage = 36.66, SD = 6.99) in the midsouth region of the United States. Mothers were recruited from community organizations and reported their experiences with IPV, HIV, depression, potentially traumatic events (PTE), parenting practices, and child maladaptive functioning. Participants living with HIV and experiencing recent IPV (i.e., cases) were matched on age, race, ethnicity, and educational attainment with mothers experiencing recent IPV (i.e., controls), for a matched sample of 30 pairs. Analyses were conducted to examine how HIV status moderated the associations between depressive symptoms and both negative and positive parenting while accounting for PTE, child maladaptive functioning, and IPV severity. The moderation model for negative parenting was significant, f2 = 0.58, but the moderation model for positive parenting was not, p = .346. Specifically, moderation was supported, B = 0.43, 95% CI [0.03, 0.83], t(53) = 2.17, p = .035, indicating that the association between depressive symptoms and negative parenting was moderated by HIV status. The findings highlight the added burden of a physical health condition on parenting practices. Given the role of negative parenting (i.e., inconsistency, poor monitoring, corporal punishment) in exacerbating poor health outcomes among children exposed to adversity, clinicians and researchers must develop family-based strategies to decrease these practices.

Application of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to Facilitate Violence Screening in HIV Care Settings: a Review of the Literature

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review summarizes the literature on violence screening practices within HIV care settings globally as well as identified salient multi-level barriers and facilitators for adopting and implementing violence screening within HIV care. We utilized the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to systematically identify multi-level factors related to violence screening within HIV services.

RECENT FINDINGS

Across the 15 articles included, several highly salient CFIR constructs emerged as particularly relevant for violence screening adoption and implementation within HIV including inner setting factors, outer setting factors, as well as select constructs specific to characteristics of the violence screening process, the individuals charged with screening, and violence screening execution. This review underscores the importance of considering CFIR constructs to bolster successful violence screening implementation in HIV care settings. We describe several potential implementation strategies to overcome the most salient barriers identified across this limited body of summarized research.

"I just keep quiet about it and act as if everything is alright" - The cascade from trauma to disengagement among adolescents living with HIV in western Kenya

INTRODUCTION

There are approximately 1.7 million adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV, ages 10 to 19) globally, including 110,000 in Kenya. While ALHIV experience poor retention in care, limited data exist on factors underlying disengagement. We investigated the burden of trauma among disengaged ALHIV in western Kenya, and its potential role in HIV care disengagement.

METHODS

We performed in-depth qualitative interviews with ALHIV who had disengaged from care at two sites, their caregivers and healthcare workers (HCW) at 10 sites, from 2018 to 2020. Disengagement was defined as not attending clinic ≥60 days past a missed scheduled visit. ALHIV and their caregivers were traced through phone calls and home visits. Interviews ascertained barriers and facilitators to adolescent retention in HIV care. Dedicated questions elicited narratives surrounding traumatic experiences, and the ways in which these did or did not impact retention in care. Through thematic analysis, a conceptual model emerged for a cascade from adolescent experience of trauma to disengagement from HIV care.

RESULTS

Interviews were conducted with 42 disengaged ALHIV, 34 caregivers and 28 HCW. ALHIV experienced a high burden of trauma from a range of stressors, including experiences at HIV disclosure or diagnosis, the loss of parents, enacted stigma and physical or sexual violence. A confluence of factors - trauma, stigma and isolation, and lack of social support - led to hopelessness and depression. These factors compounded each other, and resulted in complex mental health burdens, poor antiretroviral adherence and care disengagement. HCW approaches aligned with the factors in this model, suggesting that these areas represent targets for intervention and provision of trauma-informed care.

CONCLUSIONS

Trauma is a major factor underlying disengagement from HIV care among Kenyan adolescents. We describe a cascade of factors representing areas for intervention to support mental health and retention in HIV care. These include not only the provision of mental healthcare, but also preventing or addressing violence, trauma and stigma, and reinforcing social and familial support surrounding vulnerable adolescents. In this conceptualization, supporting retention in HIV care requires a trauma-informed approach, both in the individualized care of ALHIV and in the development of strategies and policies to support adolescent health outcomes.