Symposia
Health Psychology / Behavioral Medicine - Adult
Jacklyn D. Foley, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Conall O'Cleirigh, Ph.D.
Director, Behavioral Medicine
Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital,
Boston, Massachusetts
Amelia Stanton, Ph.D.
Fellow
Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Samantha McKetchnie, MSW
Graduate student
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Jennifer Muten, BA
Field Interviewer
The Fenway Institute
Boston, Massachusetts
Peter Chai, MD
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts
Calvin Fitch, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Behavioral Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Monina Klevens, DDS, MPH
Director of Research and Evaluation at the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Christina Psaros, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hopsital
Boston, MA
Introduction: Men who have sex with men and identify as a person of color (MSM of color) are disproportionately impacted by HIV in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate HIV-related sexual health disparities among MSM of color by affecting sexual networking behaviors and disrupting access to sexual health care. The current study used qualitative methods to explore the impact of COVID-19 and associated public health restrictions on sexual networking and HIV/STI (sexually transmitted infection) prevention behaviors among MSM of color.
Methods: A total of 18 semi-structured, open-ended qualitative interviews were conducted as part of the 2020-2021 (cycle 6) Boston sample of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) project. Participants were at least 18 years old, resided in the Boston Metropolitan area, identified as a man or non-binary person assigned male sex at birth, a person of color, and endorsed ever having sex with another man. Interviews were transcribed, imported into NVIVO, and coded using a scheme created using inductive and deductive approaches. Data reduction methods were employed to extract the overarching narrative from the transcript data.
Results: Participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 35 years (M = 26.4). The sample predominantly identified as White and Latino (50%). Most reported college education (83%) and half (50%) had incomes above $40,000. Major themes that explicated the impact of COVID-19 on sexual networking and HIV/STI prevention were: 1.) Decreased in-person sexual networking (e.g., to comply with stay-at-home orders), 2.) Increased use of dating applications (e.g., to maintain social connections), 3.) Prioritizing longer-term relationships over hook ups, 4.) Limited or changed (e.g., to virtual) access to HIV/STI prevention services, and 5.) Avoidance of healthcare appointments (e.g., to reduce anxiety about contracting COVID-19).
Conclusion: COVID-19 may influence sexual health behavioral intervention development and adaptation. For example, intervention content could be adjusted to focus on longer-term partnerships by including communication skills for shared sexual health decision-making. Intervention delivery could include establishing low contact testing procedures to reduce COVID-19 exposure risk and related anxiety.