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Clark JL, Perez-Brumer AG, Reisner SL, Salazar X, McLean S, Huerta L, Silva-Santisteban A, Moriarty KM, Mimiaga MJ, Sanchez J, Mayer KH, Lama JR. Social Network Organization, Structure, and Patterns of Influence Within a Community of Transgender Women in Lima, Peru: Implications for Biomedical HIV Prevention. AIDS Behav 2020; 24:233-245. [PMID: 30989553 PMCID: PMC6801001 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-019-02506-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Understanding social network structures can contribute to the introduction of new HIV prevention strategies with socially marginalized populations like transgender women (TW). We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews and four focus groups (n = 32) with TW from selected social networks in Lima, Peru between May and July, 2015. Participants described layers of social influence from diverse actors in their social networks. The majority identified a close relative as their primary social support, with whom they confided secrets but avoided issues of transgender identity, sexuality, and sex work. Participants described close circles of TW friends with whom they shared information about gender identity, body modification, and sexual partners, but avoided issues like HIV. Community leadership included political leaders (who advocated for transgender rights) as well as social leaders (who introduced TW to hormone therapy, body modification, and commercial sex). Detailed analysis of TW social networks can contribute to implementation and acceptability of new HIV prevention technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Clark
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 10833 Leconte Avenue, CHS 37-121, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - A G Perez-Brumer
- Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - S L Reisner
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - X Salazar
- Instituto de Estudios de Sexualidad y Derechos Humanos, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - S McLean
- The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - L Huerta
- Asociacion Civil Impacta Salud y Educacion, Lima, Peru
| | - A Silva-Santisteban
- Instituto de Estudios de Sexualidad y Derechos Humanos, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - K M Moriarty
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 10833 Leconte Avenue, CHS 37-121, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Brown University Alpert School of Medicine, Providence, RI, USA
| | - M J Mimiaga
- Center for Health Equity Research, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Departments of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Alpert School of Medicine, Providence, RI, USA
| | - J Sanchez
- Asociacion Civil Impacta Salud y Educacion, Lima, Peru
- CITBM, Universidad Nacional Mayor San Marcos, Lima, Peru
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - K H Mayer
- The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J R Lama
- Asociacion Civil Impacta Salud y Educacion, Lima, Peru
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
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