Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a biomedical intervention that can reduce rates of HIV transmission when taken once daily by HIV-negative individuals. Little is understood about PrEP uptake and retention in care among the populations most heavily impacted by the HIV epidemic, particularly among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in the Deep South. Therefore, this study explored the structural, social, behavioral, and clinical factors that affect PrEP use and retention in care among YMSM in Jackson, Mississippi. Thirty MSM who were prescribed PrEP at an outpatient primary care clinic were interviewed and included 23 men who had been retained in PrEP care and seven who had not been retained. The mean age of participants was 26.6 years. Most (23) participants were African American. Major factors affecting PrEP use and retention in PrEP care included 1) structural factors such as cost and access to financial assistance for medications and clinical services; 2) social factors such as stigma and relationship status; 3) behavioral factors including sexual risk behaviors; and 4) clinical factors such as perceived and actual side effects. Many participants also discussed the positive spillover effects of PrEP use and reported that PrEP had a positive impact on their health. Four of the seven individuals who had not been retained re-enrolled in PrEP care after completing their interviews, suggesting that case management and ongoing outreach can enhance retention in PrEP care. Interventions to enhance retention in PrEP care among MSM in the Deep South will be most effective if they address the complex structural, social, clinical, and behavioral factors that influence PrEP uptake and retention in PrEP care.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective pharmacological approach to HIV prevention. This study sought to evaluate the need and willingness of African American college students to utilize PrEP. We evaluated students' perceived HIV risk, beliefs about medication, sexual risk behaviors, and need for PrEP. The sample consisted of 147 participants (M age = 21.6 years, SD age = 4.8), and 57.7% were female. Most of the sample had been sexually active in the past. Participants were willing to initiate PrEP if they knew it would lower their chance of contracting HIV (88.2%), knew their partner was HIV positive (85.4%), or thought they were at high-risk for HIV infection (87.9%). Additionally, there was a strong positive relationship between willingness to initiate PrEP and beliefs about medicine (r = 0.217, p < 0.05). These findings have relevant implications that will aid in the promotion of PrEP uptake and initiation among at-risk college students.

Keywords-convergent validity; depression screening; single question; BDI-II; severity level I. INTRODUCTIONDepression is one of the most common mental illnesses globally in both medical and non-medical populations. The World Health Organization noted that in 17 countries 1 in 20 people reported having an episode of depression in the past year [1]. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 9.1% prevalence rate of current depression in the general population [2]. Reference [3] observed a lifetime prevalence of 16.6% for major depression with a lifetime morbid risk of 29.9% for persons 13 years of age and older. The prevalence of depression in medically ill persons has been reported to be significantly higher than healthy persons, with rates ranging from 20% to 40% [4]. As staggering as these rates may seem, in an examination of the existing literature, categorical prevalence rates of depression in patients with comorbid medical illnesses as high as 75% have been reported [5]. The importance of considering prevalence rates in medically ill persons lies in the finding that 47.6% of psychologists in the United States work in medical settings [6,7]. It is therefore essential that frontline healthcare professionals working in medical settings be able to quickly and effectively evaluate and screen for depressive symptomology.Depression is assessed through self-report questionnaires or a structured clinical interview (e.g., SCID-CV) [8]. With regard to psychometric options, the BDI-II [9] is one of the most commonly used [10,11]. The BDI-II measures a patient's severity level of depression: none/minimal, mild, moderate, or severe. An evaluation of the psychometric properties of the BDI-II has demonstrated that this instrument yields reliable, internally consistent, and valid assessments of depression in medical care settings [12].Due to the time-limited nature of assessment often observed in medical settings, efforts should be made to develop screening procedures that are valid, yet brief enough to be administered to medically ill persons. Previous studies have investigated the effectiveness of a one or two question format as a means of screening for depression in medical settings. A single depression question format entails comparing patient responses to a depression question (e.g., "Are you depressed?") to a clinical interview. In a two question format, the depression question is combined with a loss of interest question (e.g., "Have you experienced loss of interest in things or activities that you would normally enjoy?"). Patient responses are again typically compared to a diagnosis from a structured clinical interview.Results are presented in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity refers to the true positive rate; the degree of agreement between patients who describe themselves as depressed and a finding of depression on the secondary measure (typically a clinical interview). Specificity is the true negative rate; the degree of agreement between those who identify them...

African American women, especially those residing in the Southern United States (U.S.), are impacted by multiple socioeconomic, behavioral, physical, and personal factors increasing their risk of contracting HIV. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a novel, effective, individual-controlled pharmacological approach to prevent HIV. Although some African American women have expressed a desire to use PrEP, this method has been underutilized in this population. There is a lack of research examining factors that affect African American women's willingness to use PrEP. The present study evaluated factors to predict African American collegiate women's willingness to initiate PrEP. Results indicated that marital status, history of trauma, and intimate and partner violence were significant predictors of PrEP acceptability for African American collegiate women. Most participants did not know about PrEP and reported a willingness to use PrEP, especially if they thought they were at high risk or had a HIV-positive partner. Participants with a history of intimate partner violence were at higher risk for HIV and expressed more willingness to use PrEP. When optimizing PrEP implementation for women at risk for HIV, it is important to incorporate traumainformed care, safety planning, and psychological interventions within HIV prevention initiatives.