IRP commission: sexual minorities and mental health: global perspectives.

Sexual orientation is a key determinant of the identity of human beings. It has also been seen as a social determinant of health. People whose sexual orientation is non-heterosexual or sexual minorities or sexually diverse are included in the broad umbrella term LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) which is a commonly used acronym in activism, social policy, and subsequently cultural literature. For this reason, this Commission focuses primarily on sexual orientation i.e. lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) groups. We have used terms non-heterosexual, sexual minorities or sexual variation interchangeably. We have not considered asexual individuals as research in the field is too limited. We are cognisant of the fact that topics relating to mental health and sexual orientation discussed in this Commission will intersect with other issues of personal, cultural and social identity, and will thus be relevant to individuals including many transgender individuals. The inclusion of mental health issues relevant to gender-diverse individuals as well as gender identity is important and deserves its own separate detailed discussion. The exact number of sexually diverse individuals in a population is often difficult to estimate but is likely to be somewhere around 5% of the population. Rates of various psychiatry disorders and suicidal ideation and acts of suicide in LGB populations are higher than general population and these have been attributed to minority stress hypothesis. Elimination of inequality in law can lead to reduction in psychiatric morbidity in these groups. However, these are all diverse groups but even within each group there is diversity and each individual has a distinct and unique experiences, upbringing, responses to their own sexual orientation, and generating varying responses from families, peers and friends as well as communities (including healthcare professionals). The mental healthcare needs of sexual minority individuals vary and these variations must be taken into account in design, development and delivery of healthcare and policies. Improving access to services will help engagement and outcomes and also reduce stigma. The commission recommends that there is no role for so-called conversion therapies and other recommendations are made for clinicians, researchers and policymakers.

Economic, Mental Health, HIV Prevention and HIV Treatment Impacts of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 Response on a Global Sample of Cisgender Gay Men and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men.

There is an urgent need to measure the impacts of COVID-19 among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM). We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a global sample of gay men and other MSM (n = 2732) from April 16, 2020 to May 4, 2020, through a social networking app. We characterized the economic, mental health, HIV prevention and HIV treatment impacts of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 response, and examined whether sub-groups of our study population are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Many gay men and other MSM not only reported economic and mental health consequences, but also interruptions to HIV prevention and testing, and HIV care and treatment services. These consequences were significantly greater among people living with HIV, racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants, sex workers, and socio-economically disadvantaged groups. These findings highlight the urgent need to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 among gay men and other MSM.

RESUMEN: Existe una necesidad urgente para medir los impactos de COVID-19 entre hombres gay y otros hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH). Hemos conducido una encuesta multifuncional con una prueba mundial de hombres gay y otros HSH (n = 2732) desde el 16 de Abril hasta el 4 de Mayo del 2020, a través de una aplicación de red social. Nosotros caracterizamos los impactos económicos, de salud mental, prevención del VIH y tratamiento del VIH e impactos a COVID-19 y la respuesta de COVID-19, y examinamos si subgrupos de nuestra población de estudio fueron impactados desproporcionadamente por COVID-19. Muchos hombres no tan solo reportaron consecuencias económicas y de salud mental, sino también interrupciones de prevención y de pruebas de VIH, y cuidado del VIH y servicios de tratamiento. Encontramos consecuencias más significantes entre personas viviendo con VIH, grupos raciales/etnicos, migrantes, sexo servidores, y groupos socioeconomicamente disfavorecidos. Los resultados subrayan la necesidad crucial de mitigar los impactos multifacéticos de COVID-19 entre los hombres homosexuales y otros HSH, especialmente para aquellos con vulnerabilidades entrelazadas.

Perilous Uncertainty: Situating Women's Breast-Health Seeking in Northern Peru.

Breast cancer rates in Peru, as in other low- and middle-income countries, continue to rise, and survival rates are poor, in part because many women are diagnosed with late-stage disease. As part of a pilot project to improve breast cancer screening and diagnostic services in remote regions of Peru, the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) partnered with Peruvian organizations to train community health workers in breast health promotion and providers in clinical breast exam (CBE). To inform these strategies, we undertook a qualitative study to determine factors that influence Peruvian women's decisions to seek CBE. Anthropological approaches incorporating the PRECEDE/PROCEED public health model guided our conversations with providers and women living in the region of the pilot intervention. Grounded theory analysis helped us uncover a central theme of uncertainty, a state of doubt and insecurity that created a sense of impotent worry and impeded clinical health-seeking behaviors.

Improving quality of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services in Ukraine: a focus on provider communication skills and linkages to community-based non-governmental organizations.

BACKGROUND: Ukraine has the highest rate of HIV infection in Europe, with an estimated adult prevalence of 1.6 percent. The epidemic in Ukraine remains largely driven by injection drug use, and women of reproductive age are being increasingly affected. Prior research has highlighted the need to improve the quality of services for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and to address other issues related to HIV counseling, testing, and care, especially in the context of antenatal and obstetric services. METHODS: From 2004 to 2007, PATH led a collaborative effort to improve the quality of PMTCT services in Ukraine. Initial assessments included focus groups with Ukrainian women and review of existing educational materials. Interventions focused on training providers to improve skills in communication and referral to community-based support; they also addressed the underlying issue of stigma. RESULTS: Observational data demonstrated that providers who participated in the training intervention delivered PMTCT counseling of a consistently higher quality than did providers who did not undergo training. Exit interviews with clients confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS: An intervention focused on strengthening voluntary counseling and testing for HIV, forging partnerships with local organizations, and undoing HIV-related stigma can help to improve access to and quality of PMTCT services in antenatal care clinics.

Effective Collaboration for Scaling Up Health Technologies: A Case Study of the Chlorhexidine for Umbilical Cord Care Experience.

The global health field is replete with examples of cross-organizational collaborative partnerships, such as networks, alliances, coalitions, task forces, and working groups, often established to tackle a shared global health concern, condition, or threat affecting low-income countries or communities. The purpose of this article is to review factors influencing the effectiveness of a multi-agency global health collaborative effort using the Chlorhexidine Working Group (CWG) as our case study. The CWG was established to accelerate the introduction and global scale-up of chlorhexidine for umbilical cord care to reduce infection-related neonatal morbidity and mortality in low-income countries. Questions included: how current and past CWG members characterized the effectiveness, productivity, collaboration, and leadership of the CWG; what factors facilitated or hindered group function; institutional or individual reasons for participating and length of participation in the CWG; and lessons that might be relevant for future global collaborative partnerships. Data were collected through in-depth, semistructured individual interviews with 19 group members and a review of key guiding documents. Six domains of internal coalition functioning (leadership, interpersonal relationships, task focus, participant benefits and costs, sustainability planning, and community support) were used to frame and describe the functioning of the CWG. Collaboration effectiveness was found to depend on: (1) leadership that maintained a careful balance between discipline and flexibility, (2) a strong secretariat structure that supported the evolution of trust and transparent communication in interpersonal relationships, (3) shared goals that allowed for task focus, (4) diverse membership and active involvement from country-level participants, which created a positive benefit-cost ratio for participants, (5) sufficient resources to support the partnership and build sustainable capacity for members to accelerate the transfer of knowledge, and (6) support from the global health community across multiple organizations. Successful introduction and scale-up of new health interventions require effective collaboration across multiple organizations and disciplines, at both global and country levels. The participatory collaborative partnership approach utilized by the Chlorhexidine Working Group offers an instructive learning case.

Cryotherapy treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: women's experiences in Peru.

Our objective was to examine cryotherapy experiences among women who received treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in a cervical cancer prevention project in rural Peru. The sample consisted of all women receiving cryotherapy during a 4-month period (July through October 2001). Structured interviews were conducted to collect information about the adequacy of information provision, women's satisfaction with cryotherapy, their ability to comply with postcryotherapy recommendations and condom use, their experience with cryotherapy side effects, and their satisfaction with cryotherapy follow-up. Of the 224 women who were interviewed, user satisfaction with cryotherapy treatment was generally good. A few women engaged in sex earlier than 30 days after treatment, primarily due to partner pressure to resume sex and the women's inability to successfully negotiate abstention from sex. These couples were not always able to use condoms. The percentage of women reporting vaginal discharge was within the range of responses reported in other studies. Cryotherapy appears to be acceptable to women in low-resource settings such as Peru.

Factors affecting utilization of cervical cancer prevention services in low-resource settings.

Strategies for introducing or strengthening cervical cancer prevention programs must focus on ensuring that appropriate, cost-effective services are available and that women who most need the services will, in fact, use them. This article summarizes the experiences of research projects in Bolivia, Peru, Kenya, South Africa, and Mexico. Factors that affect participation rates in cervical cancer prevention programs are categorized in three sections. The first section describes factors that arise from prevailing sociocultural norms that influence women's views on reproductive health, well being, and notions of illness. The second section discusses factors related to the clinical requirements and the type of service delivery system in which a woman is being asked to participate. The third section discusses factors related to quality of care. Examples of strategies that programs are using to encourage women's participation in cervical cancer prevention services are provided. This paper is available too at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.

Factors affecting utilization of cervical cancer prevention services in low-resource settings

Las estrategias para introducir o fortalecer programas de prevención de cáncer cervical deben enfocarse hacia garantizar servicios costo-efectivos, que se encuentren disponibles para que las mujeres que los necesiten puedan utilizarlos. Este artículo resume la experiencia de proyectos de investigación realizados en Bolivia, Perú, Kenya, Sudáfrica y México. Los factores que afectan la tasa de participación en programas de prevención son categorizados en tres secciones. La primera describe los factores que surgen predominantemente por normas socioculturales que influyen en la visión que las mujeres tienen sobre la salud reproductiva. La segunda discute los factores relacionados con los requerimientos clínicos y el tipo de servicio ofrecido, así como el sistema mediante el cual las mujeres están siendo invitadas a participar. La tercera sección discute factores relacionados con la calidad de la atención. Finalmente, se proveen ejemplos de las estrategias sobre los programas que son utilizados para alentar la participación de las mujeres en los servicios de prevención del cáncer cervical.