Self-Consent for PrEP Perspectives

Decisional autonomy is a foundational, nearly inviolable principle of contemporary human subjects research. "Autonomy" refers to a deliberative outcome reflecting an individual's choice, outside of controlling influences of other agents. From the perspective of research participation decision-making, autonomy incorporates five elements of consent: competence; disclosure; understanding; voluntariness; and, consent. Adequate research consent processes are thought to be challenged by group-level qualities that define a "vulnerable population" in need of protection from coercion or undue influence. Age (typically less than age 18 in the United States) is a widely accepted status-defining vulnerability. Sexual minority identity or same-sex behavior does not define a "vulnerable" population but 45 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 46 subpart A (Common Rule) allows appropriate protections for other vulnerable populations as determined by an individual Institutional Review Board (IRB). The specific aims of this study address issues within a larger domain of questions about the primacy of decisional autonomy, and associations of autonomous research consent and subsequent participation-associated outcomes. This mixed-methods study will enroll young men who have sex with men (YMSM) and transgender women who have sex with men who are currently or were previously enrolled in the ATN 110 or ATN 113 study. Data from the web-based survey will be used to test hypotheses about the relationships between participant age, elements of the consent process, and two key participation outcomes (early adherence to PrEP, HIV seroconversion) in the ATN 110 or ATN 113 study. Data from the qualitative interview will be used to explore in further depth age-related vulnerability and disclosure vulnerabilities manifested for participants and whether/how they influenced ATN 110 and ATN 113 study outcomes. The interview will also assess decisional support and the benefits or harms associated with participation.