Category: Health Psychology / Behavioral Medicine - Adult
Amelia Stanton, Ph.D.
Fellow
Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Conall O'Cleirigh, Ph.D.
Director, Behavioral Medicine
Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital,
Boston, Massachusetts
Amelia Stanton, Ph.D.
Fellow
Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jacklyn Foley, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Audrey Harkness, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
University of Miami
Miami, Florida
Hyo Jin (jenny) Shin, B.S., M.P.H.
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts
Matthew Sullivan, Ph.D.
Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Brookline, Massachusetts
As of February 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact the health and wellbeing of individuals in the United States (US). Specific populations are at higher risk for severe morbidity from COVID-19, including persons with HIV (PWH; Tesoriero, Swain, Pierce, et al., 2021). Challenges resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may also exacerbate preexisting stressors and disproportionately impact access to HIV prevention services among populations at risk for acquiring HIV, particularly men of color who have sex with men.
The interaction of COVID-19 and HIV has been conceptualized as a syndemic health challenge (Shiau, Krause, Valera, et al., 2020). Within this framework, COVID-19 must be considered in tandem with the many other biopsychosocial difficulties that PWH and at risk for HIV must navigate, including mental health symptoms, substance use, and structural issues that compromise engagement in care. Research is needed to fully examine the ways in which COVID-19 has affected these populations. Ensuring that cognitive behavioral therapies can improve public health and mitigate disparities in the context of global health crises requires a nuanced understanding of the unique effects of the pandemic across at-risk groups.
Each presentation will demonstrate the specific ways in which COVID-19 has affected people at risk for HIV or PWH and highlight implications for cognitive behavioral interventions that aim to improve engagement in HIV prevention behaviors or HIV care. First, Presenter 1 will describe the impact of COVID-19 on sexual networking and HIV/STI prevention activities on MSM of color in Boston. Then, Presenter 2 will characterize the effects of the pandemic on the mental health of Latino MSM in Miami, highlighting the importance of facilitating patient navigation through disrupted healthcare systems. Presenter 3 will share qualitative data from MSM of color on their experiences of stigma and discrimination in the context of social/sexual networking during the pandemic, when partner availability decreased and virtual/online sexual activity increased. Our last two presenters will speak to COVID-related challenges and associated impacts on engagement in positive health behaviors among PWH who use substances. Presenter 4 will specify COVID-19-related impacts on access to health care, supportive services, and other resources (including food and medications) among urban PWH with active substance use disorders. Finally, Presenter 5 will address COVID-19 vaccine mistrust in a multi-site national study with PWH who smoke cigarettes, noting greater vaccine mistrust and lower smoking cessation motivation among Black PWH relative to White PWH.
Presenter 6, an expert on the psychosocial aspects of HIV care and prevention, will serve as the Discussant. He will speak to the ways in which these findings can inform cognitive behavioral treatment development and adjustments to intervention delivery for people affected by HIV, preparing for the emergence of new COVID-19 variants or other future health crises.
Presenter: Amelia Stanton, Ph.D. – Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-author: Conall O'Cleirigh, Ph.D. – Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital,
Co-author: Jacklyn D. Foley, Ph.D. – Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-author: Samantha McKetchnie, MSW – Boston College
Co-author: Jennifer Muten, BA – The Fenway Institute
Co-author: Peter Chai, MD – Brigham and Women's Hospital
Co-author: Calvin Fitch, PhD – Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-author: Monina Klevens, DDS, MPH – Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Presenter: Jacklyn D. Foley, Ph.D. – Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-author: Conall O'Cleirigh, Ph.D. – Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital,
Co-author: Amelia Stanton, Ph.D. – Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-author: Samantha McKetchnie, MSW – Boston College
Co-author: Jennifer Muten, BA – The Fenway Institute
Co-author: Peter Chai, MD – Brigham and Women's Hospital
Co-author: Calvin Fitch, PhD – Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-author: Monina Klevens, DDS, MPH – Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Co-author: Christina Psaros, Ph.D. – Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hopsital
Presenter: Audrey Harkness, Ph.D. – University of Miami
Co-author: Elliott R. Weinstein, M.P.H., M.S. – University of Miami
Co-author: Daniel Hernandez Altamirano, BS – University of Miami
Co-author: Alyssa Lozano, M.S. – University of Miami
Co-author: Pranusha Atuluru, BS – University of Miami
Co-author: Daniel Mayo, B.S. – University of Miami
Co-author: Susanne Doblecki-Lewis, MD – University of Miami
Co-author: C. Hendricks Brown, PhD – Northwestern University
Co-author: Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz, PhD – George Washington University
Co-author: Guillermo Prado, PhD – University of Miami
Co-author: Steven A. Safren, Ph.D., ABPP – University of Miami
Presenter: Hyo Jin (jenny) Shin, B.S., M.P.H. – Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-author: Jacklyn D. Foley, Ph.D. – Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-author: Aarti Madhu, B.S. – The Fenway Institute
Co-author: Abigail W. Batchelder, M.P.H., Ph.D. – MGH/Harvard Medical School
Presenter: Matthew C. Sullivan, Ph.D. – Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Co-author: Allison Labbe, PhD – Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School
Co-author: Michael J. Zvolensky, Ph.D. – University of Houston
Co-author: Jasper Smits, Ph.D. – The University of Texas at Austin
Co-author: Thomas Giordano, MD, MPH – Baylor College of Medicine
Co-author: Conall O'Cleirigh, Ph.D. – Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital,