Beyond community engagement : perspectives on the meaningful involvement of people with HIV and affected communities (MIPA) in HIV cure research in The Netherlands

First, we express our heartfelt gratitude to all the participants who generously shared their experiences and insights, making this research possible. Your contributions are invaluable and we sincerely thank you for your time and openness. Special appreciation goes to the Dutch HIV Association of People with HIV and the HIV consultants for their collaboration and support in participant recruitment. We further thank Lissa Agema and Vaneza Paulo for their dedication to the detailed transcriptions. The PAB and CAB deserve profound acknowledgment for their efforts and significant contributions in the development and conducting of this research. Last, we acknowledge the use of the large-language model ChatGPT and Grammarly for improving clarity and conciseness.Peer reviewe

The Importance of Social Engagement in the Development of an HIV Cure : A Systematic Review of Stakeholder Perspectives

Funding Information: This research has been funded by Aidsfonds under Grant P-53001. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Engagement of HIV-negative MSM and partners of people with HIV in HIV cure (research) : exploring the influence of perceived severity, susceptibility, benefits, and concerns

We would like to express our gratitude to the following individuals and organizations for their contributions to this paper. Firstly, we are immensely grateful to the participants who shared their time, experiences, and stories, making this research possible. Their willingness to engage in open and honest discussions added depth and richness to our findings. We also extend our appreciation to the members of the professional and community advisory boards who provided their expertise, insights, and guidance throughout the research process, which greatly enhanced the quality of this study. We would also like to acknowledge the Hiv Vereniging and the Verpleegkundig Consulenten HIV for their support and collaboration. We thank Lissa Agema for the transcriptions.Peer reviewe

The Importance of Social Engagement in the Development of an HIV Cure: A Systematic Review of Stakeholder Perspectives

As research into the development of an HIV cure gains prominence, assessing the perspectives of stakeholders becomes imperative. It empowers stakeholders to determine priorities and influence research processes. We conducted a systematic review of the empirical literature on stakeholder perspectives. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for empirical, peer-reviewed articles, published before September 2022. Our analysis of 78 papers showed that stakeholders could be divided into three categories: people with HIV, key populations, and professionals. Following thematic synthesis, two main themes were distinguished: stakeholders’ perspectives on HIV cure research and stakeholders’ perspectives on HIV cure. Research on perspectives on HIV cure research showed that stakeholders’ hypothetical willingness to participate (WTP) in HIV cure research was relatively high, while actual WTP was found to be lower. Studies also identified associated (individual) characteristics of hypothetical WTP, as well as facilitators and barriers to hypothetical participation. Additionally, we reported research on experiences of actual HIV cure research participation. Our analysis of stakeholder perceptions of HIV cure showed that most stakeholders preferred a cure that could eliminate HIV and outlined positive associated impacts. Furthermore, we observed that most included studies were conducted among PWHIV, and in the Global North. To empower stakeholders, we recommend that future research include an even greater diversity of stakeholders and incorporate theories of behavior to further explore how stakeholders decide to meaningfully engage in every stage of HIV cure research

Mpox stigma among men who have sex with men in the Netherlands:Underlying beliefs and comparisons across other commonly stigmatized infections

People with or at risk for mpox are likely to be stigmatized because of analogies to other sexually transmitted infections. Stigma is driven by beliefs about the perceived severity of the condition and perceived responsibility for acquiring the condition, both in broader society and individual responsibility. We explored these beliefs and compared them across mpox, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia in an online survey, conducted in July 2022, with 394 men-who-have-sex-with-men in the Netherlands. We compared mean scores between infections using repeated measures analysis of variance and conducted hierarchical regression analyses to identify determinants of both mpox perceived responsibility endpoints. Results showed that participants expected that mpox would be seen as a "gay disease" and will be used to blame gay men. Compared to other infections, mpox was considered less severe than HIV, but more severe than syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia. Perceived responsibility was comparable across infections, but, for each infection, participants perceived attributed responsibility to be higher in society than individual responsibility. Both perceived responsibility endpoints were highly correlated with each other and with other stigma beliefs. These results provide insight on the underlying determinants of mpox stigma and demonstrate that anticipated mpox stigma is present in the Netherlands