Violence, Discrimination, and High Levels of Symptoms of Depression Among Adolescent Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women in Brazil.

PURPOSE: This study aimed at describing the prevalence of symptoms of depression among 15-19 year old adolescent men who have sex with men (aMSM) and transgender women (aTGW), who were recruited in an HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis cohort study in three Brazilian capital cities. The study also examined potential associations, including violence and discrimination, with severe symptoms of depression among aMSM. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of baseline data among 730 aMSM and 56 aTGW recruited between February 2019 and February 2021. Sociodemographic and behavioral data were collected. The 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale was used to screen for symptoms of depression. Scores of ≥22 points indicate the presence of severe symptoms associated with major depression. Logistic regression was used to assess independent associations among aMSM, adjusting for sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: Our findings indicate a high prevalence of symptoms of depression (overall prevalence = 58.5% and 69.6%; 21.2% and 25.0% for mild/moderate, and 37.3% and 44.6% for severe) among these aMSM and aTGW, respectively. Psychological violence (aOR = 1.74; 95% CI = 1.12-2.70), sexual violence (aOR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.07-2.98), and discrimination due to sexual orientation (aOR = 1.71; 95% CI = 1.23-2.38) were independently associated with severe symptoms of depression in aMSM. DISCUSSION: The high prevalence of severe symptoms of depression and its association with psychological and sexual violence and discrimination creates cycles of vulnerability and carries important public health implications. Thus, our findings indicate public policies should consider assessing depression, psychological and sexual violence, as well as discrimination, especially in populations that will be targeted by interventions, such as the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Health vulnerabilities in female sex workers in Brazil, 2016.

Female sex workers (FSW) suffer stigma and discrimination that negatively impact their physical and mental health and affect access to health care services. This paper aims to describe selected health indicators among FSW in 12 Brazilian cities in 2016. Brazilian cross-sectional Biological Behavioral Surveillance Survey was conducted in 2016 among 4328 FSW recruited by respondent-driven sampling. The sample weighing was inversely proportional to participant's network sizes and the seeds were excluded from the analysis. Health indicators were estimated with 95% confidence interval and included indicators of health status, symptoms of depression, antenatal care, pap smear coverage, signs and symptoms of sexually transmitted infection, contraception and regular condom use, number of births and children alive per women, human immunodeficiency virus and syphilis testing, usual source of care, and perception of discrimination. Most participants self-rated their health as very good/good (65.8%) and 27.7% were positively screened for major depressive disorder episode on Patient Health Questionnaire-2. Antenatal coverage was 85.8% and 62.3% of FSW had access to pap smear exam in the past 3 years. A total of 67.0% of FSW were using some contraceptive method at the time of the study. Male condom was the most common method (37.1%), followed by oral pill (28.9%). A total of 22.5% FSW had never been tested for HIV and the main reasons were "not feeling at risk" (40.4%) and "being afraid or ashamed" (34.0%). The vast majority of FSW used Brazilian National Health System as their usual source of health care (90.2%). Approximately one-fifth of the participants felt discriminated against or were treated worse for being FSW (21.4%) and only 24.3% disclose their sex work status in health services. The vulnerability of FSW is expressed in all health indicators. Indicators of health status, antenatal care, pap smear coverage, and contraception were worse than in the Brazilian population, and point out to the importance of increase FSW's access to health care services. Also, stigma and discrimination emerged as an important barrier to FSW's health care in all dimensions and need to be struggled.

Improving community mobilization in HIV treatment management: practical suggestions from patients in Brazil.

OBJECTIVES: To describe patients' suggestions on improving the management of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and to identify the roles that key stakeholders should play in taking responsibility for those recommendations. METHODS: This research was embedded within a national cross-sectional study on patient adherence to ART and the associated factors. A subsample of the study patients were asked to offer suggestions on how to improve daily management of ART, and their answers were analyzed using a content analysis approach. The recommendations were then interpreted in terms of who should be responsible for them, and the suggestions were organized into three levels: micro (patient), meso (health care team), and macro (researchers, policymakers, family, friends, and the general public). RESULTS: Of the 552 participants from the subsample, 60% were male, their average age was 44.1 years, and 62% were nonadherent in at least at one of three dimensions (missing doses, improper timing, or improper dosing). The categories underlying the micro level were "believing in treatment efficacy," "being motivated," "accepting HIV status," and "sharing experiences with other patients." At the meso level the suggestion categories were "more information from health care providers" and "humanization of care." The macro level categories were "social support and actions against stigma," "research proposals," and "improvement of health care services." CONCLUSIONS: Patients are influenced by the health policies, care, and support offered by health care providers, organizations, policymakers, and communities. In turn, these stakeholders develop the policies and deliver their care and support based on the responses and actions of patients. All stakeholders should work together to engage, educate, and support patients in addressing ART management.

HIV testing in psychiatric patients in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that a high proportion of people living with HIV infection are unaware of their serologic status, which indicates unmet prevention needs. The aim of the present study was to estimate the rate of lifetime HIV testing and assess the association between previous HIV testing and sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, and risk behaviors in psychiatric patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional national multicenter study including 2380 chronic mentally ill patients randomly selected from 26 Brazilian mental health institutions. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to describe the association between patient characteristics and previous HIV testing. RESULTS: The rate of previous lifetime HIV testing was 27%. Most participants were female (52%), 40 years old or younger (52%) with low schooling (59%), and had previous psychiatric hospitalizations (57%) and schizophrenia as a primary condition (48%). Being tested for HIV was independently associated (P < 0.05) in the multivariate analysis with higher schooling, being younger than 40 years old, living alone, having other self-reported medical conditions, higher HIV/AIDS knowledge, substance use as a main psychiatric condition, a history of sexually transmitted diseases, sexual abuse, and inconsistent lifetime condom use. However, those who never had sexual intercourse and did not know their HIV risk were less likely to be tested. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of HIV testing among these psychiatric patients was low despite their increased risk for HIV infection. These findings support the need for increasing HIV testing and awareness of HIV status among psychiatric patients. Mental health providers should play an active role in providing HIV testing and counseling to this population.

[Assessment of factors associated with patients' comprehension of treatment at the start of antiretroviral therapy]. / Evaluación de factores asociados a la comprensión del tratamiento en pacientes que inician la terapia antirretroviral.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate factors associated with patients' comprehension of antiretroviral therapy (ART). METHOD: Cross-sectional analysis in which patients at 2 HIV/AIDS public referral centers (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) were interviewed after initiating ART. Information was recorded on variables related to the patient's characteristics, the treatment prescribed, and the healthcare professional involved. A score indicating the patients' level of comprehension regarding the medications prescribed was obtained using a latent trait model estimated by the item response theory. RESULTS: A total of 406 patients were interviewed. Mean (SD) age was 35 (10) years, 227 were men (56%), 302 of Afro-American ethnicity (77%), and 213 had <8 years of education (53%). The regression model determined that 52.25% of the variability of comprehension was explained by the individual's characteristics. Variables associated (P<0.05) with poorest understanding about ART were lower education (<8 years), lack of knowledge about treatment duration and clinical severity, inadequate information provided by physicians, inability to understand pharmaceutical information, daily number of tablets, and the ART regimen prescribed. CONCLUSION: Comprehension of information about the ART regimen prescribed varies considerably between individuals. Nonetheless, several factors were found to be associated with the level of understanding: characteristics of the patient (education, clinical severity), characteristics of treatment (daily number of tablets, ART regimen prescribed), and contribution of healthcare professionals (information from physicians and pharmacists). Strategies to reinforce information about ART should be a priority for patients with a low level of understanding.