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Despite the availability of HIV prevention and treatment tools, HIV disparities continue to affect Latinx sexual minority men (LSMM). Behavioral health concerns further exacerbate HIV disparities among LSMM. This study used rapid qualitative analysis to understand factors influencing LSMM's access to HIV and behavioral health services during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Participants included LSMM with (n = 10) and without HIV (n = 10). The analysis identified 15 themes. Themes revealed that LSMM's access was disrupted by new and worsening barriers resulting from COVID-19, such as anxiety about COVID-19 exposure, confusion and disruptions to services, and new structural challenges. Other themes highlight positive changes, such as telehealth and relaxed clinic protocols, which enhanced LSMM's access to services during COVID-19. The findings suggest the need for HIV and behavioral health clinics to innovate and ensure LSMM's continued access to services during and beyond COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body image disturbance is increasingly relevant as women living with HIV (WLWH) live longer. We explored body image disturbance and changes in fat distribution (lipodystrophy) in 63WLWH(mean age551 years) and evaluated associations among lipodystrophy, body image, and psychosocial variables. Eighty-one percent of participants reported one or more body parts (of six assessed) demonstrating lipodystrophy, and more than one third reported three ormore affected body parts. Increased belt/waist (58%) and increased chest/breast (39%) sizes were most common. More diffuse lipodystrophy was significantly associated with poorer body image (F[2,54] = 11.86, p < .001, partial η² = .313) and anxiety (F[2,52] = 3.82, p = .029, partial η² = .133) after controlling for age and duration of infection. Lipodystrophy was prevalent in our sample; more diffuse lipodystrophy was associated with anxiety and poor body image. Providers should assess lipodystrophy in older WLWH and provide referrals for mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although studies consistently report high rates of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and HIV infection, development and testing of PTSD treatment interventions in HIV-infected adults is limited. As such, the purpose of this review was twofold. First, this review augments the three existing reviews of research for PTSD in HIV-infected adults conducted within the past 10 years. We found two empirically supported cognitive-behavioral therapy-based interventions for the treatment of trauma-related symptoms in HIV-infected adults. Due to the continued limited number of effective interventions for this population, a second aim of our review was to draw from the expansive field of effective PTSD interventions for the general population to propose ways that future clinical intervention research may be tailored for HIV-infected adults. Therefore, in addition to a review, we conceptualized this paper as an opportunity to generate an ideal preview of the field of intervention research in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which investigates the mental health and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk in men who have sex with men (MSM) in the U.S. The study claims that the reduction of HIV sexual risk behavior is affected by the evidence-based HIV prevention interventions with MSM. It also asserts that the uptake of HIV behavioral interventions is hindered by mental health and psychosocial problems.

Male-to-female transgender individuals who engage in sex work constitute a group at high risk for HIV infection in the United States. This mixed-methods formative study examined sexual risk among preoperative transgender male-to-female sex workers (N =11) in Boston. More than one third of the participants were HIV-infected and reported a history of sexually transmitted diseases. Participants had a mean of 36 (SD =72) transactional male sex partners in the past 12 months, and a majority reported at least one episode of unprotected anal sex. Qualitative themes included (a) sexual risk, (b) motivations for engaging in sex work, (c) consequences of sex work, (d) social networks (i.e., “trans mothers,” who played a pivotal role in initiation into sex work), and (e) potential intervention strategies. Results suggest that interventions with transgender male-to-female sex workers must be at multiple levels and address the psychosocial and environmental contexts in which sexual risk behavior occurs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Unlabelled: Psychological illness influences the experience and expression of pain and disability. We tested three null hypotheses: (1) patients with nonspecific pain (medically unexplained and idiopathic) and patients with specific pain (discrete and verifiable) are equally likely to screen for psychiatric illnesses based on a validated screening questionnaire; (2) the presence of psychiatric illness (from a screening questionnaire) will not predict whether patients have specific or nonspecific pain type; and (3) across all patients and regardless of whether they have specific or nonspecific pain, psychiatric illness will not predict disability as measured by the Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire. We rejected all null hypotheses. The 41 patients with nonspecific arm pain were more likely than the 40 patients with specific arm pain to screen for a somatoform disorder (34% versus 7.5%), posttraumatic stress disorder (24% versus 7.5%), and panic disorder (12.2% versus 5%). The presence of anxiety and somatoform disorders predicted pain type (nonspecific versus specific) and arm-specific disability (DASH). Somatoform disorder was the strongest predictor of pain type and DASH scores. Based on a screening questionnaire, a comorbid psychiatric illness, a somatoform disorder in particular, is associated with nonspecific arm pain and arm-specific disability.Level Of Evidence: Level II, diagnostic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses opportunities and challenges in HIV care and prevention. Risky sexual behavior of HIV-positive persons; Provider barriers to discussing HIV risky behavior; Patient relationship with medical providers.

The authors examined the prevalence of self-reported childhood physical or sexual abuse in a sample of adult patients presenting for treatment of panic disorder, social phobia, or generalized anxiety disorder. Regardless of the presence of comorbid anxiety disorders or comorbid depression, patients with panic disorder had significantly higher rates of past childhood physical or sexual abuse than patients with social phobia. Patients with generalized anxiety disorder had intermediate rates of past physical or sexual abuse that were not significantly different from the other two diagnostic groups. Anxiety disorder patients with a history of childhood abuse were also more likely to have comorbid major depression than those without. These findings are discussed in terms of biological and behavioral factors that may influence the development of anxiety disorders after the experience of a traumatic event.