Social Work Commons^™

Understanding Lived Experiences Of Stigma For People Living With Hiv: A Community Based Participatory Research Study, Brent Oliver Dr., Catherine Pearl, Egbert S. Felix – John, Deborah Norris, Folasade J. Elizabeth Olaniyan, Kim Samson, Aniela Dela Cruz, Gabriel Aseselin, Kate Berezowski, Celeste Hayward, Becky Vam Tassel, Floyd Visser

The Qualitative Report

The goal of this project was to better understand the experiences and impacts of HIV stigma and discrimination on people living with HIV and to co-create knowledge that has the potential to challenge existing stigma within the healthcare, social services, and public policy sectors in the province of Alberta, Canada. We employed community-based participatory research and a mixed methods design (survey methods and qualitative interviews) to address these questions. An online survey was completed by 148 people living with HIV and semi-structured interviews were conducted with an additional 20 participants. The research findings have been conceptualized within a social ecological …

Sheprep: Examining The Influence Of The Messaging And The Messenger Associated With Prep Uptake Among African American Women, Christian C. Spears

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African American Women (AAW) make up less than 15% of the female population in the United States but account for over 50% of new HIV diagnoses among females. This largely preventable health disparity can be mitigated by advocating and prescribing Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a preventive HIV medication, to persons at risk. Despite advances in medication options, there are less than 13% of Black people who could benefit from having been prescribed PrEP, and limited research and promotion on the effectiveness of PrEP for AAW. The “ShePrEP Study” aimed to assess awareness, perceptions, and receptivity toward PrEP among AAW. This study …

Understanding The Process Of Health Goal Achievement Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (Msm) In Chicago: An Exploratory Qualitative Study, Anthony Johnson

Dissertations

Background: Over the last 30 years, Black men who have sex with men (MSM) have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS while accounting for only approximately 1% of the population of the United States. The majority of research with Black MSM has focused on HIV infection risk factors, but very little attention has been given to their overall health and well-being. The breadth of HIV-health related research that includes Black MSM tends to demonstrate high levels of racial, environmental, and economic disparities that need to be addressed. However, more research must be conducted to explicate the process of exercising strength and …

Attitudes Toward Payment For Research Participation: Results From A U.S. Survey Of People Living With Hiv, Andrea N. Polonijo, Karine Dubé, Jerome T. Galea, Karah Yeona Greene, Jeff Taylor, Christopher Christensen, Brandon Brown

Social Work Faculty Publications

Little is known about how payment affects individuals' decisions to participate in HIV research. Using data from a U.S. survey of people living with HIV (N = 292), we examined potential research participants’ attitudes toward payment, perceived study risk based on payment amount, and preferred payment forms, and how these factors vary by sociodemographic characteristics. Most respondents agreed people should be paid for HIV research participation (96%) and said payment would shape their research participation decisions (80%). Men, less formally educated individuals, and members of some minoritized racial-ethnic groups were less likely to be willing to participate in research …

Patient And Provider Perceptions Of A Community-Based Accompaniment Intervention For Adolescents Transitioning To Adult Hiv Care In Urban Peru: A Qualitative Analysis, Jerome T. Galea, Milagros Wong, Brennan Ninesling, Alicia Ramos, Liz Senador, Hugo Sanchez, Lenka Kolevic, Eduardo Matos, Eduardo Sanchez, Renato A. Errea, Andrew Lindeborg, Carlos Benites, Leonid Lecca, Sonya Shin, Molly F. Franke

Social Work Faculty Publications

Introduction: Adolescents living with HIV (ALWH) experience higher mortality rates compared to other age groups, exacerbated by the suboptimal transition from paediatric to adult HIV care, during which decreased adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and unsuppressed viremia are frequent. Care transition—a process lasting months or years—ideally prepares ALWH for adult care and can be improved by interventions that are youth-friendly and address psychosocial issues affecting ART adherence; however, such interventions are infrequently operationalized. Community-based accompaniment (CBA), in which laypeople provide individualized support and health system navigation, can improve health outcomes among adults with HIV. Here, we describe patient and provider …

Fidelity Monitoring In The Solution Focused Wellness For Hiv (Sfwh) Intervention For Women, Helen Taylor Yates, Spencer Elise Lee

Journal of Solution Focused Practices

Solution Focused methods are often interpreted by different practitioners with a degree of flexibility and adaptation to specific practice settings (Lehmann & Patton, 2012). This flexibility is one of the features that makes SFBT a very client-centered approach and has been highlighted as one of the key aspects of successful co-construction of desired outcomes with clients (Franklin et al., 2017). This collaborative approach is possible due to SFBT’s utilization of social constructionist principals in the solution-building process (Blundo & Simon, 2015). While encouraging flexibility of implementation of SFBT, identifying the main tenets of the therapy, including specific techniques and mindsets …

Longitudinal Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Acceptability, Initiation And Adherence Among Criminal Justice-Involved Adults In The Usa: The Southern Prep Cohort Study (Specs) Protocol, Katherine Lemasters, Carrie B. Oser, Mariah Cowell, Katie Mollan, Kathryn Nowotny, Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein

Sociology Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: HIV prevalence among criminal justice (CJ)-involved adults is five times higher than the general population. Following incarceration, CJ-involved individuals experience multilevel barriers to HIV prevention. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a widely available, daily medication efficacious in preventing HIV. Little is known about PrEP knowledge, acceptability, initiation and sustained use among CJ-involved persons or about how these outcomes vary by multilevel factors. The Southern Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Study (SPECS) will investigate barriers and facilitators for PrEP initiation and sustained use among CJ-involved adults, building a foundation for PrEP interventions for this underserved population.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: SPECS uses a mixed-methods sequential …

Prevention In Context: An Examination Of Factors Associated With Recent Hiv Testing Among Men In New York City, Anthony Freeman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Using intersectionality, Critical Race Theory and Quare theory as theoretical frameworks, this dissertation employs hierarchical logistic regression and data from New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Community Health Survey (CHS) to examine the relative association of key variables and domains -- demographics, sexual characteristics, risk factors and engagement in medical care variables -- on recent HIV testing for a sample of 3997 men. Further, this study explores these effects separately for White, Black, Latino and Asian men.

Findings shows that respondents who were 18-24 years old, 45-64 years old, residing in Queens or Staten Island, employed, …

Biopolitics' New Iteration: Gay Men, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis And The Pharmaco-Pornographic Imagination, Rory David Crath, J. Cristian Rangel, Adam Gaubinger

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

This article builds upon Paul Preciado’s conceptualisation of pharmaco-pornographic power to understand the ongoing affects and effects of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) on queer men’s sexual socialities and subjectivities. Drawing from a new-materialist epistemology, we analyze data from a sexual health pilot study in NYC to trace the techno-sexual health assemblages forming in queer life worlds. Our analysis suggests that these assemblages, entangling PrEP and other pharmacological substances, pornographic imaginaries together with mediatic technologies and public health rationalties, are creating paradoxical desires and practices of intimacy that are both normative and exceed rational health-actor logics and normative understandings of risk. These …

Evaluating The Impact Of Incentives On Clinical Trial Participation: Protocol For A Mixed Methods, Community-Engaged Study, Jerome T. Galea, Karah Y. Greene, Brandon Nguyen, Andrea N. Polonijo, Karine Dubé, Jeff Taylor, Christopher Christensen, Zhiwei Zhang, Brandon Brown

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Monetary incentives in research are frequently used to support participant recruitment and retention. However, there are scant empirical data regarding how researchers decide upon the type and amount of incentives offered. Likewise, there is little guidance to assist study investigators and institutional review boards (IRBs) in their decision-making on incentives. Monetary incentives, in addition to other factors such as the risk of harm or other intangible benefits, guide individuals’ decisions to enroll in research studies. These factors emphasize the need for evidence-informed guidance for study investigators and IRBs when determining the type and amount of incentives to provide to …

Impact Of The Sars-Cov-2 Pandemic On Adolescents Living With Hiv In Lima, Peru, Renato A. Errea, Milagros Wong, Liz Senador, Alicia Ramos, Karen Ramos, Jerome T. Galea, Leonid Lecca, Hugo Sánchez, Carlos Benites, Molly F. Franke

Social Work Faculty Publications

Adolescents living with HIV (ALWH) have lower rates of virologic suppression and higher rates of immunologic decline compared to their older counterparts, potentially placing them at high-risk for developing severe SARS-CoV-2 disease. ALWH who are transitioning to adult care face additional challenges to remaining in care and adhering to treatment. In this special section we report the experiences of ALWH in the process of transitioning to adult HIV services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In first place, the government-mandated stay-at-home order has substantially limited access to full HIV care by restricting public transportation, HIV medication stock-outs, and the suspension of routine …

Social Determinants Of Health Inequality: Predictors Of Hiv Transmission Among African Americans In The Deep South, Kayla Allison

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

HIV/AIDS has become an epidemic in Black communities in the Deep South, which poses a major public health crisis. Unfortunately, the lack of attention from health officials has resulted in African Americans experiencing the greatest burden of the disease as compared to any other racial/ethnic group. Thus, this cross-sectional, correlational study examined predictors of HIV transmission with an emphasis on the course of the disease among African Americans in the Deep South region of the United States given the legacy of slavery, historical racism, and plight of African Americans in this geographical area. The institution of slavery was not isolated …

Social Networks Moderate The Syndemic Effect Of Psychosocial And Structural Factors On Hiv Risk Among Young Black Transgender Women And Men Who Have Sex With Men, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

The interaction between the cumulative effect of psychosocial and structural factors (i.e. syndemic effect) and social networks among young Black transgender women and men who have sex with men (YBTM) remains understudied. A representative cohort of 16–29 year-old YBTM (n = 618) was assessed for syndemic factors [i.e. substance use; community violence; depression; poverty; justice system involvement (JSI)], social network characteristics, condomless anal sex (CAS), group sex (GS), and HIV-infection. The syndemic index significantly increased the odds of CAS, GS, and HIV-infection, and these effects were moderated by network characteristics. Network JSI buffered the effect on CAS, romantic network members …

Case Manager And Client Relationships For Hiv Related Care Services In Rural Areas, Evan Meduna, Amy West

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This article examines and evaluates client and case manager relationships of HIV related care in rural areas. Through the use of a literature review, the goal was to pinpoint discrepancies along the continuum of care in rural and non-rural communities. Linkage to care and retention in care were the focus of the literature review. In addition, a qualitative study of five rural case managers at the Nebraska AIDS Project was performed to identify barriers and best practices. The research provided evidence of the need for future research of strategies and interventions of increased testing and maintaining clients in care in …

Exposure To Community Violence And Substance Use Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men: Examining The Role Of Psychological Distress And Criminal Justice Involvement, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Young Black MSM (YBMSM) are disproportionately affected by violence, criminal justice involvement, and other structural factors that also increase vulnerability to HIV. This study examined associations between exposure to community violence (ECV) and substance use, psychological distress, and criminal justice involvement (CJI) among YBMSM in Chicago, IL. Respondent driven sampling was used to recruit a sample of 618 YBMSM (aged 16–29) from the South Side of Chicago between June 2013 and July 2014. Weighted logistic regression assessed the direct effects of ECV, CJI, and psychological distress on substance use outcomes. Indirect effects were assessed via path analysis with mean and …

Violence Exposure And Pathways To Hiv Risk Behaviors In Black And White Young Men Who Have Sex With Men, Donald Robert Gerke

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

HIV remains a critical public health issue facing men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States. Young MSM (YMSM) ages 13-34 years account for the greatest number of new HIV infections in MSM, with Black YMSM bearing the highest burden of disease. Sexual risk behaviors (e.g. unprotected sex) continue to be the leading transmission mode for HIV among all YMSM and studies have indicated that these behaviors are associated with a number of psychosocial and environmental factors, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), exposure to violence, substance use, and mental health problems. Moreover, recent studies based on the …

Effects Of Stigma On The Use Of Spirituality By Older Black Men Living With Hiv, Warren Lee Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research on HIV stigma and the use of spirituality by people living with HIV/AIDS is scarce. Moreover, the research with older Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) is scant. The focus of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of BMSM living with HIV aged 50 and older with encounters of HIV stigma on the use of spirituality. The research questions were designed to explore the lived experiences of aging, HIV stigma, and spirituality. Conceptually, this study was framed within the minority stress theory and the HIV stigma framework. Data were collected through …

The Relationship Between Black And Gay Community Involvement And Hiv-Related Risk Behaviors Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Black gay men must navigate identities and stigmas related to being gay and Black, and report higher HIV incidence relative to their White male counterparts although they report lower rates of drug use and risky sexual behaviors. This study examined whether closeness to the gay or Black community correlated with HIV-related risk and protective behaviors. Data were drawn from uConnect, a population-based cohort study of young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) on Chicago's South Side. The sample consists of 618 Black MSM ranging in age from 16 to 29. Cross-sectional measures for this study include Black and …

Associations Of Hiv Risk Behaviors Among Older Latinas And Their Adult Daughters, Gira J. Ravelo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the associations between adult Latina daughters’ HIV risk behaviors and that of their older Latina mothers’ HIV risk behaviors. The central hypothesis of the study is that adult Latina daughters’ influence their older mothers’ behaviors and that such behaviors interact with the level of their attachment.

Older Latinas are a vulnerable population that face cultural risk factors, health care provider bias, and engage in low rates of HIV testing. The primary mode of HIV infection for Latinas is through heterosexual contact. Yet, traditional gender norms such as marianismo belief place pressure on Latina women to be submissive …

“I Don’T Fit In A Box; No One Does:” Intersectionality And Gay Male Identity, Jesse L. Grainger, Brent E. Cagle

The Winthrop McNair Research Bulletin

Using an intersectionality framework, this qualitative study explores how stigma affects identity development and how intersecting identities can compound to either foster resiliency or create health concerns for 11 men who are emerging adults (18-29), same sex identified, African American, HIV +, and homeless. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted through RAIN (Regional Aids Interfaith Network) in Charlotte, NC. Questions were formulated to understand how participants view themselves and perceived stigmas, current/past health conditions, and their five to ten year prospects. This study uses grounded theory as a guide to analyze and interpret data. Themes explored include: risks (acquiring HIV through …

Undergraduate Social Work College Students And Aids And Hiv, Breeanna Edwards

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This proposal discusses some of the stigmas about the transmission of HIV and AIDS, its spread amongst college students and how it can be reduced through the efforts of social work. It attempts to discover these concepts to garner a general view of all unfavorable attitudes, lack of knowledge, perceptions of whether a person is infected or not, risky sexual behaviors and social influence for social workers to better understand the root cause of its rise. The primary problem is the rise of the HIV and AIDS virus amongst the college population. Through surveys and interpreting quantitative data, it is …

Puerto Rican Women Living With Hiv And Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence, Sharon Danesa Cuba-Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Puerto Rican women experience increased risk of bio-psychosocial challenges due to their ethnicity. This phenomenological study examined Puerto Rican HIV-positive women's perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV), which consists of physical, sexual, verbal, and psychological abuse. Although HIV-positive status and IPV have been a focus of previous research, specific research examining the phenomenological experiences of HIV-positive Puerto Rican women who experienced IPV has not been studied. The basis of the study was feminist intersectionality theory, which supported the process used to explore and understand the essence of the participants' experiences. Feminist intersectionality theory examines intersecting social systems including gender, ethnicity, …

Marijuana Use Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men And The Hiv Care Continuum: Findings From The Uconnect Cohort, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Background: Young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) are at highest risk for HIV seroconversion in the United States. Successful movement through the HIV care continuum is an important intervention for limiting onwards HIV transmission. Objective: Little data exists on how substances most commonly used by YBMSM, such as marijuana, are related to the HIV continuum, which represents the primary aim of this study. Methods: A cohort of YBMSM (n = 618) was generated through respondent-driven sampling. Frequency of marijuana use and marijuana use as a sex-drug were assessed across the HIV care continuum using weighted logistic regression …

Multiple Dimensions Of Stigma And Health Related Factors Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

This study is among the first to examine the association between multiple domains of HIV-related stigma and health-related correlates including viral load and medication adherence among young Black men who have sex with men (N = 92). Individual logistic regressions were done to examine the hypothesized relationships between HIV-related stigma and various health and psychosocial outcomes. In addition to examining total stigma, we also examined four domains of HIV stigma. Findings revealed the various domains of stigma had differential effects on health-related outcomes. Individuals who reported higher levels of total stigma and personalized stigma were less likely to be virally …

Mitigating Intimate Partner Violence To Promote Safe Linkage To Care For South African Women Who Test Hiv+ During Mobile Counseling And Testing., Leslie Lauren Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sources warn the global HIV/AIDS epidemic will not be halted without significant reductions in Intimate partner violence (IPV). South African women have been hardest hit by the HIV-IPV link, suffering deleterious health outcomes as sequelae of significant barriers to HIV care. Extant literature focuses on HIV prevention, and there is a paucity of effective methods for mitigating IPV-related barriers among women living with HIV. This study was a Phase II trial testing the effectiveness and safety of the HIV IPV Risk and Safety (HIRS) protocol administered to women experiencing IPV and testing HIV+ during mobile HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT). …

Substance Use And Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Peruvian Msm Social Media Users, Sean D. Young, Roch A. Nianogo, Chingche J. Chiu, Lucho Menacho, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Peru is experiencing a concentrated HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM). Substance use (alcohol and drug use) has been found to be associated with HIV-related sexual risk behaviors. A recent surge in the number of social media users in Peru has enabled these technologies to be potential tools for reaching HIV at-risk individuals. This study sought to assess the relationship between substance use and sexual risk behaviors among Peruvian MSM who use social media. A total of 556 Peruvian MSM Facebook users (ages 18-59) were recruited to complete a 92-item survey on demographics, sexual risk behaviors, …

The Stigma Effect: The Role Of Internalized Racism And Internalized Homophobia In Risky Sexual Behavior Among Black Gay Men, Darren Lovell Whitfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black gay, bisexual, queer, and same-gender-loving (GBQSGL) men account for less than 1% of US population, yet account for 36% of all new HIV infections. While, Black GBQSGL men experience higher rates of HIV infection compared to other gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (MSM) from other racial groups, they are no more likely to report engaging in condomless anal sex (CAS). These findings suggest that one possible explanation is that the context of sexual behavior for Black GBQSGL men may be riskier because of the prevalence of HIV in the community. Furthermore, research suggests that racism …

Hiv-Serodiscordant Couples, Pre-Exposure, Prophylaxis And Relationship Satisfaction, Eli Latto

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed-methods study explored the use of post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and relationship satisfaction in HIV-serodiscordant couples. “Serodiscordant” refers to couples in which one partner is living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and one is not. PrEP is a daily dose of the antiretroviral medication Truvada, taken as a prevention measure by HIVnegative individuals at substantial risk for contracting the virus. This study was conducted via an anonymous online survey with both quantitative and open-ended questions to determine whether there is any relationship between the use of PrEP and relationship satisfaction in HIVserodiscordant couples. Data was analyzed by comparing people in …

Older Adults With Hiv/Aids, Charles A. Emlet, Anne K. Hughes

Charles Emlet

No abstract provided.

In Search Of Safety, Negotiating Everyday Forms Of Risk: Sex Work, Criminalization, And Hiv/Aids In The Slums Of Kampala, Serena Cruz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation offers an in-depth descriptive account of how women manage daily risks associated with sex work, criminalization, and HIV/AIDS. Primary data collection took place within two slums in Kampala, Uganda over the course of fourteen months. The emphasis was on ethnographic methodologies involving participant observation and informal and unstructured interviewing. Insights then informed document analysis of international and national policies concerning HIV prevention and treatment strategies in the context of Uganda. The dissertation finds social networks and social capital provide the basis for community formation in the sex trade. It holds that these interpersonal processes are necessary components for …