The association between condomless anal sex and social support

Abstract

Event-level relationship between methamphetamine use significantly associated with non-adherence to pharmacologic trial medications in event-level analyses

BackgroundMethamphetamine use has been previously associated with poor medication adherence, but, to date, there have been no studies that have conducted event-level analyses on correlates of medication adherence in studies of pharmacologic agents for methamphetamine dependence.MethodsWe pooled data from two previous, randomized controlled trials (using bupropion and mirtazapine, respectively) for methamphetamine dependence and used a mixed effects logistic model to examine correlates of daily opening of the medication event monitoring system (MEMS) cap as a repeated measure. We explored whether periods of observed methamphetamine use via urine testing were associated with study medication adherence based on MEMS cap openings.ResultsWe found a significant negative association between methamphetamine-urine positivity and event-level study medication adherence as measured by MEMS cap openings (AOR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.49-0.98). In addition, age (AOR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.02-1.11) and depressive symptoms (AOR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.64-0.90) were significantly associated with adherence. Finally, participants were more likely to open their study medication bottles on days when they presented for in-person urine testing.ConclusionsOur event-level analysis shows that methamphetamine use can be associated with reduced medication adherence as measured by MEMS cap openings in pharmacologic trials, which corroborates prior research. These findings may suggest that medication adherence support in pharmacologic trials among methamphetamine users may be needed to improve study compliance and could be targeted towards periods of time when there are more likely to not open their study medication pill bottles

The Association Between Condomless Anal Sex and Social Support Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) in Six U.S. Cities: A Study Using Data from the HIV Prevention Trials Network BROTHERS Study (HPTN 061).

We assessed how egocentric (i.e., self-generated descriptions of a person's social contacts) network structure and composition corresponded with reported instances of condomless receptive and insertive anal intercourse with men who were reportedly HIV-infected or of unknown HIV serostatus in a sample of black men who have sex with men (MSM) in six U.S. cities. Ratings showing a higher percentage of network members who provided social participation and medical support were positively associated with reporting condomless sex. There were also significant positive associations between stimulant use and condomless insertive and receptive anal sex. Future research should examine the social processes that underlie these associations and explore ways that social support can affect HIV prevention efforts for black MSM

Social Network Support and Decreased Risk of Seroconversion in Black MSM

Background and settingBlack men who have sex with men (BMSM) in the United States have disproportionately high HIV infection rates. Social networks have been shown to influence HIV risk behavior; however, little is known about whether they affect the risk of HIV seroconversion. This study uses data from the BROTHERS (HPTN 061) study to test whether contextual factors related to social networks are associated with HIV seroconversion among BMSM.MethodsWe analyzed data from the BROTHERS study (2009-2011), which examined a multicomponent intervention for BMSM in 6 US cities. We ran a series of Cox regression analyses to examine associations between time-dependent measures of network support (personal/emotional, financial, medical, and social participation) and time to HIV seroconversion. We ran unadjusted models followed by models adjusted for participant age at enrollment and study location.ResultsA total of 1000 BMSM tested HIV negative at baseline and were followed at 6- and 12-month study visits. Twenty-eight men tested HIV positive. In adjusted hazard ratio models, study participants who remained HIV negative had higher proportions of social network members who provided personal/emotional {0.92 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.85 to 0.99]}, medical [0.92 (95% CI: 0.85 to 0.99)], or social participation [0.91 (95% CI: 0.86 to 0.97)] support.ConclusionFindings suggest that the increased presence of social network support can be protective against HIV acquisition. Future research should explore the processes that link social network support with sexual and other transmission risk behaviors as a basis to inform HIV prevention efforts