Social Capital Moderates the Relationship Between Stigma and Sexual Risk Among Male Sex Workers in the US Northeast

Valente, Pablo K.; Mimiaga, Matthew J.; Mayer, Kenneth H.; Safren, Steve; Biello, Katie B.

doi:10.1007/s10461-019-02692-5

Cited by 16 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Among sexual minorities, social support has been found to buffer against the negative effects of homophobic stressors on emotional distress (Doty et al, 2010; Fingerhut, 2018; Wang et al, 2018). Some research has also found that social support related constructs like social capital (i.e., the resources gained through social relationships; Valente et al, 2020) and social network size (Teixeria da Silva et al, 2020) may mitigate the association of stigma (e.g., sex work stigma) with risk behaviors, including CAS. However, the potential buffering effect of perceived social support on CAS in the context of antiretroviral-based HIV prevention has not been directly examined in GBM.…”

Section: Social Support Among Gbmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social support and HIV prevention behaviors among urban HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Skakoon‐Sparling¹,

Berlin²,

Lachowsky³

et al. 2022

Health Psychology

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Objective: Supportive social relationships can have direct positive effects on health and mitigate the negative impact of stressors. This study investigated the main effect of perceived social support on STI/HIV risk and prevention behaviors. The buffering effect of perceived social support on the impact of proximal minority stressors, like internalized homonegativity, was also examined on one risk behavior specifically, condomless anal sex (CAS) without HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use. Methods: HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) were recruited using respondent driven sampling from three major Canadian urban centers (n = 1,409). GBM completed measures of perceived social support, proximal minority stress, and engagement in STI/HIV risk and prevention behaviors. Results: Higher perceived social support was positively associated with a several health behaviors, including recent STI and HIV testing, discussing HIV status with prospective partners, the use of behavioral HIV-risk reduction strategies during sexual encounters, and a lower likelihood of engaging in CAS without PrEP. There was evidence of moderation as well. Among GBM with higher perceived social support, internalized homonegativity was no longer associated with increased odds of engaging in CAS without PrEP. Conclusions: The results of the current study advance social support theory to GBM in the context of biomedical prevention, showing both evidence of both direct associations and buffering effects on STI/HIV risk and prevention behaviors. This highlights the importance of promoting social support seeking in interventions aimed at improving GBM health.

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Section: Social Support Among Gbmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social support and HIV prevention behaviors among urban HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Skakoon‐Sparling¹,

Berlin²,

Lachowsky³

et al. 2022

Health Psychology

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“…Those with high social cohesion scores were significantly less likely to test positive for HIV in a sample of MSM and TGW in Côte d'Ivoire [5], while findings from a study of MSM in Eswatini showed that those who reported high social cohesion were approximately twice as likely to have received HIV testing in the past 12 months [21]. However, few studies have formally examined the potential moderating role of social cohesion in the relationship between stigma and HIV risk, and those that have offer mixed findings [22,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Stigma, Social Cohesion, and HIV Risk Among Sexual and Gender Minorities in Two Cities in Zimbabwe

et al. 2022

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Though stigma is a recognized contributor to the disproportionate HIV burden among sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in sub-Saharan Africa, data describing this association among Zimbabwean SGM are limited. We examined relationships between SGM stigma and HIV and the potential for social cohesion to moderate the association among Zimbabwean men who have sex with men, transgender women, and genderqueer individuals. Consenting participants (n = 1511) recruited through respondent-driven sampling for a biobehavioral survey in Harare and Bulawayo completed structured interviews and received HIV testing. Reported SGM stigma was common (68.9% in Harare and 65.3% in Bulawayo) and associated with HIV infection in Harare (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27–2.62) and Bulawayo (aPR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.15–2.00) in relative risk regression. Social cohesion did not moderate these relationships. Findings demonstrate stigma’s association with HIV vulnerability among Zimbabwean SGM, highlighting the need for stigma-mitigation to reduce HIV transmission in this population.

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“…A Jamaican study also reported that selling sex was associated with men's HIV vulnerabilities, including lower safer sex self-efficacy and reduced condom use (Logie et al, 2018). It is plausible that transactional sex offers less opportunities for networking, connections to HIV prevention resources, and sex worker social support than in formal commercial sex work (Baral et al, 2015;Valente et al, 2020). Increased condom use and condom self-efficacy among transactional sex engaged adolescent girls and young women may reflect the benefits of refugee specific sex work agencies for women in Kampala that enhance HIV information, prevention access, and solidarity (Rosenberg & Bakomeza, 2017;Uganda Ministry of Health, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender, transactional sex, and HIV prevention cascade engagement among urban refugee and displaced adolescents and youth in Kampala, Uganda

et al. 2020

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HIV prevention needs among urban refugee and displaced youth engaged in transactional sex are understudied. We examined associations between transactional sex and the HIV prevention cascade among urban refugee/displaced youth in Kampala, Uganda. We conducted a crosssectional survey with a peer-driven sample of refugee/displaced adolescent girls and young women (n = 324) and adolescent boys and young men (n = 88) aged 16-24 living in Kampala's informal settlements. We conducted gender-disaggregated multivariable linear and logistic regressions to examine associations between past 12-month transactional sex and: lifetime HIV testing, condom self-efficacy, and recent [past 3-month] consistent condom use. Among the 27% of young women reporting transactional sex, 63% reported HIV testing. In multivariable analyses with young women, transactional sex was associated with higher condom self-efficacy, increased consistent condom use, but not HIV testing. Among the 48% of young men reporting transactional sex, 50% reported HIV testing. In multivariable analyses with young men, transactional sex was associated with lower HIV testing but not with condom self-efficacy or consistent condom use. Young men were 68% less likely to report HIV testing if transactional sex engaged. Findings point to urgent HIV testing gaps among transactional sex engaged urban refugee/displaced youth and a need for gender-tailored HIV prevention strategies.

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Social Capital Moderates the Relationship Between Stigma and Sexual Risk Among Male Sex Workers in the US Northeast

Cited by 16 publications

References 76 publications

Social support and HIV prevention behaviors among urban HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Social support and HIV prevention behaviors among urban HIV-negative gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Stigma, Social Cohesion, and HIV Risk Among Sexual and Gender Minorities in Two Cities in Zimbabwe

Gender, transactional sex, and HIV prevention cascade engagement among urban refugee and displaced adolescents and youth in Kampala, Uganda

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