Psychological Distress and Happiness of Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender People During the Coronavirus Disease-19 Pandemic: Is There a Need for Public Health Policy Intervention?

Identity development, attraction, and behaviour of heterosexually identified men who have sex with men: scoping review protocol

BACKGROUND

Heterosexually identified men who have sex with men (H-MSM) are distinct from other heterosexual men and from gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority men. Specifically, H-MSM experience discordance between their sexual identity (i.e., heterosexual) and behaviours (i.e., sexual encounters with other men). This sexual identity-behaviour discordance can create barriers to obtaining healthcare and social support. Understanding and accepting H-MSM as they self-identify may be necessary to implement effective public health and psychosocial interventions. The aim of the present study is to provide an overview of research on H-MSM.

METHODS

A scoping review will be conducted to identify and describe the identity development, attraction, and behaviour of H-MSM. This scoping review will also identify and describe current trends related to the recruitment of H-MSM and recommend directions for future research. Searches will be conducted in Academic Search Complete, APA PsychInfo, CINAHL Plus with full text, Education Research Complete, Gender Studies Database, GenderWatch, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, LGBTQ + Source, MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, SocINDEX with full text, Sociological Collection, Social Work Abstracts, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and ResearchGate. Primary research studies published in peer-reviewed journals will be included. Dissertations and theses that include primary research on H-MSM will also be included. Reference lists, experts in the field, preprint servers, and relevant conferences will also be consulted for extant and in-progress literature. Two reviewers will independently pilot the data extraction form and conduct the title and abstract screening, with consultation from a research librarian. Seven reviewers will then conduct the full-text article screening. Thematic content analysis will guide the review; through independent review and reviewer meetings, themes and subthemes will be identified and reported from the extracted literature.

DISCUSSION

This is the first known knowledge synthesis on H-MSM, seeking to better understand sexual identity-behaviour discordance amongst cisgender men. We anticipate that a theoretical framework of H-MSM's sexuality, internal processes, and behaviours will be constructed from this review. Alongside implications for further research with H-MSM, this review may be relevant to sexually transmitted infection public health and to clinicians working in the field of male sexuality.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

Open Science Framework: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/MVY9H.

Gender and social protection and health policies promoted during the COVID-19 pandemic: Global scoping review and future challenges

Background

Governmental interventions have been important tools for mitigating COVID-19 transmission, but they have also negatively impacted different gender-related components. We aimed to answer the following questions: What is the scope of the gender approach in the literature analysing health and social protection policies promoted during the COVID-19 pandemic? What are the challenges and recommendations for gender-sensitive policies for the post-pandemic and future crises?

Methods

The study design is based on three stages: a global synthesis of the evidence through a scoping review, the generation of a framework of emerging inequalities based on sociocultural markers, and the creation of a matrix with the challenges and recommendations. In this scoping review, we searched 10 online databases for studies published until April 2022 and conducted a content analysis on the extracted studies.

Results

Of the 771 identified records, 67 met our inclusion criteria. Most studies had a female person (52/67) as the first author. The binary model was the main approach addressed in the studies (61/67). The literature showed that the closure, distancing, and other social policies did not include a gender approach and generated negative gaps related to economic instability, reproductive roles, and gender violence. In the intersectionality dimension, multiple aspects emerged (macro, meso, micro-social level, and individual level). Greater gender gaps in connection with employment (related to increased housework) were observed during the closure and distancing stage of the pandemic. Asymmetries related to female participation in the management of the pandemic and an increase in discrimination and abuse of diversity groups were detected.

Conclusions

We observed gaps both in the gender approach both in knowledge and in policy implementation during the pandemic in the different countries explored in this work. This is a call to attention and action for researchers, political decision-makers, and other interested parties to incorporate and accentuate the gender perspective in all policies related to the post-pandemic period and future social and health crises.

Mental Health among African American and Latinx Men who have sex with men after the COVID-19 Lockdown in Los Angeles - Findings from the HOPE cohort

This study aimed to examine the depression and anxiety among men of color (primarily African American and Latinx) who have sex with men after the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes included 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and a 10-item COVID-related anxiety measure using a modified H1N1-related anxiety question. Independent variables were food insecurity and belief in government efficiency. Data were analyzed by Regression models with random cluster effects. Food insecurity experiences were significantly associated with higher depression (p < 0.001), higher anxiety (p < 0.001), and higher pandemic-related anxiety (p < 0.001). Higher levels of belief in government efficiency were significantly associated with lower depression (p < 0.05), less anxiety (p < 0.05), and less pandemic-related anxiety (p-value < 0.001). These findings emphasize the importance of establishing trust between government and at-risk communities when issuing public health policies, especially during unforeseen circumstances, as well as to ensure basic human rights, such as food security.

Predicting self-harm and suicide ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: a nationwide survey report

BACKGROUND

It is estimated that 77.0% of suicide cases occurred in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), which would increase because of the COVID-19 pandemic and socioeconomic inequity. However, there is lack of reports on this topic from LMICs, especially during the pandemic. Therefore, this nationwide study aimed to explore self-harm and suicide ideation and its predictive variables during the pandemic in Indonesia as a MIC with the highest COVID-19 fatality rate in Asia.

METHODS

Non-random sampling online survey was conducted nationwide between 25 May and 16 June 2021. The collected data were demographic variables (i.e. age group), loneliness from social isolation using The UCLA Loneliness Scale Six Items (ULS-6), and self-harm and suicide ideation using item 9 of The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Predictive model was analyzed using hierarchical logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 5211 participants from all 34 provinces in Indonesia completed the survey. Among 39.3% of them reported self-harm and suicide ideation during the pandemic, which significantly correlated with loneliness. The predictive variables associated with the likelihood of self-harm and suicide ideation were age, residence, job, religion, sex-gender, sexual orientation, HIV status, disability status, and loneliness. The predictive model showed a significant goodness-of-fit to the observed data (x² [ (15)] = 1803.46, p < .001), R_N² = .40.

CONCLUSION

Four out of 10 Indonesians experienced self-harm and suicide ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly people within the age range of 18-24, living in the Java Island, unemployed/student/retired and freelancer, women, members of minority and marginalized communities, and experience of loneliness during the pandemic.