Earlier Sexual Debut as a Risk Factor for Substance Use Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Kazakhstan

Laughney, Caitlin I; Lee, Yong Gun; Mergenova, Gaukhar; Vinogradov, Vitaliy; Zhakupova, Gulnara; Paine, Emily Allen; Primbetova, Sholpan; Terlikbayeva, Assel; Wu, Elwin

doi:10.1007/s40609-023-00298-3

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Alcohol and drug use assessment relied on the same measures used in previous studies. 14,16,17 Briefly, participants self-reported lifetime use of alcohol, marijuana, heroin and other opioids, stimulants, cocaine, hallucinogens or psychedelics, inhalants, and club drugs. Participants reporting any prior use of alcohol were asked about incidents of binge drinking, operationalized as "consuming five or more alcohol beverages within a two-hour period".…”

Section: Alcohol and Drug Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…14,15 Furthermore, SGE individuals contend with multiple behavioral risks associated with HIV that urge attention. [16][17][18] Persistent stigma and discrimination pose ethical and practical challenges for research needed to help develop locally effective means of decreasing HIV incidence. For instance, HIV research participation may elicit and, in turn, be deterred by presumption of infection status, unwanted attention or isolation, and other negative attitudes toward participants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social Impacts of Multi-City HIV Research Participation Among Sexual and Gender Expansive Individuals in Kazakhstan

Vinogradov,

Lee,

Zhakupova

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background: Sexual and gender expansive (SGE) individuals in Kazakhstan are disproportionately affected by HIV yet stigma and discrimination pose ethical and practical challenges for HIV prevention research involving them. Although researchers are tasked with ensuring that risks of research participation are reasonable in relation to its benefits, participation-related risks and benefits—including negative and positive social impacts (NSIs and PSIs respectively) on personal relationships, social status, health, and other aspects of life—among SGE populations have received little attention.Methods: We examined NSIs and PSIs of participation among SGE individuals in a three-city HIV prevention study in Kazakhstan at the clinical trial's follow-up visits. We analyzed responses from 579 unique SGE participants who completed a total of 2648 follow-up visits over the 36-month study period (2019–2022).Results: Overall, NSIs were rare: 9 (2%) participants reported NSIs during the study; virtually no NSIs (mean=0.0037, SD=0.03) were reported at each follow-up visit. These few NSIs included 'trouble with friends, family, or acquaintances' and 'other'. By contrast, PSIs were extensive: 515 (89%) participants reported PSIs during the study; almost an average of five PSIs (mean=4.8, SD=3.4) were reported at each follow-up visit. The most endorsed PSIs were 'gained knowledge', 'improvement in HIV-related issues', and 'improvement in life'.Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate the potential for HIV prevention research to be associated with PSIs for SGE individuals experiencing stigmatization and discrimination. Future research should address NSIs, particularly interpersonal challenges among network members, within HIV prevention research to minimize risks and burdens of participation.

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Section: Alcohol and Drug Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Impacts of Multi-City HIV Research Participation Among Sexual and Gender Expansive Individuals in Kazakhstan

Vinogradov,

Lee,

Zhakupova

et al. 2024

Preprint

Self Cite

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Earlier First Anal Sex Predicts Engagement in Chemsex Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United Kingdom

Avallone,

Marbaniang,

Engler

et al. 2024

The Journal of Sex Research

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Trans Health is Public Health: The Prevalence of HIV Among Trans and Gender Expansive People in Kazakhstan

Reeder,

Lee,

Sung

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Introduction: Trans and gender expansive (TGE) individuals around the world are at increased risk for contracting HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), yet the combination of stigma, accessibility challenges, and a lack of trans-specific, trans-affirming interventions perpetuates rates of infection. Due to the severe paucity of data on TGE communities and HIV in Central Asia, this study describes HIV infections (both known and newly detected) and STIs among TGE in a multicity Kazakhstan study. Methods: This study utilized behavioral and biological assay data collected in a NIDA-funded clinical trial of a behavioral HIV preventive intervention for substance using cis and trans gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (GBMSM) across three Kazakhstan cities (Almaty, Astana, and Shymkent). We specifically focus on HIV infection, as well as three other STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis), among 68 TGE individuals who participated in the trial from August 2018 to March 2022. Results: Findings reveal that while the majority (69%) of TGE participants have undergone HIV testing in their lifetime—with 32% having completed an HIV test in the prior 6 months—over a third (37%) of participants did not know their current HIV status. Fourteen (21%) of the participants were confirmed to be living with HIV, and 11 (79%) of these confirmed infections were reportedly unknown prior to testing. STI testing revealed that 47% of the TGE sample tested positive for chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis, with almost 10% testing positive for more than one of these STIs. Conclusions: Findings from this study demonstrate high rates of HIV and STIs among TGE individuals in this sample population in Kazakhstan, as well as a discrepancy between HIV status awareness and confirmed HIV diagnosis (with higher rates of confirmed HIV diagnosis). Additionally, the HIV testing rates fall short of the 90-90-90 and 95-95-95 UNAIDS targets for 2020 and 2030, respectively. These results underscore the need for additional research, interventions, and services to address HIV and other STIs and increase testing—concomitantly redressing the conditions leading to marginalization—among TGE in Kazakhstan. Clinical Trial Number: NCT02786615

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Earlier Sexual Debut as a Risk Factor for Substance Use Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Kazakhstan

Cited by 3 publications

References 36 publications

Social Impacts of Multi-City HIV Research Participation Among Sexual and Gender Expansive Individuals in Kazakhstan

Social Impacts of Multi-City HIV Research Participation Among Sexual and Gender Expansive Individuals in Kazakhstan

Earlier First Anal Sex Predicts Engagement in Chemsex Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United Kingdom

Trans Health is Public Health: The Prevalence of HIV Among Trans and Gender Expansive People in Kazakhstan

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