A Pilot Intervention to Improve Coping With Discrimination and Adherence Among HIV-Positive Latino MSM

R34-funded study to pilot test an intervention to improve coping with discrimination and adherence among Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV. The proposed research aims to modify and refine Siempre Seguiré, a culturally congruent cognitive behavior therapy group intervention for HIV-positive Latino men who have sex with men (LMSM), to include strategies for ART adherence and retention in HIV care; and to conduct a small randomized pilot of Siempre Seguiré to examine feasibility and acceptability, as well as to explore preliminary effects on coping responses to discrimination and antiretroviral treatment adherence among LMSM living with HIV.

HIV-related disparities in diagnosis and disease outcomes persist among Latinos, and Latinos living with HIV show a lower percentage of viral suppression compared to the general HIV-positive population. A growing body of work suggests that stigma and discrimination contribute to health disparities, especially among people living with HIV, who may experience discrimination due to multiple stigmatized identities related to HIV-serostatus, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Internalized stigma and discrimination may lead to health-related disparities by increasing detrimental physiological stress responses, resulting in maladaptive coping and poor health behaviors, including non-adherence to treatment. Moreover, the chronic stress of discrimination may weaken immune function, leading to worse HIV outcomes, including increased HIV viral load. The proposed research will integrate adherence skills-building strategies into a recently developed intervention, Siempre Seguiré, an 8-session group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention for HIV-positive Latino men who have sex with men (LMSM) that aims to improve adaptive coping responses to discrimination. The specific aims are: (1) To modify and refine Siempre Seguiré, a newly developed culturally congruent CBT group intervention for HIV-positive LMSM, to include strategies for antiretroviral treatment adherence and retention in HIV care; and (2) To conduct a small randomized pilot of Siempre Seguiré to examine feasibility and acceptability, as well as to explore preliminary effects on: (a) coping responses to discrimination; and (b) antiretroviral treatment adherence, viral load suppression, and HIV care retention, among LMSM living with HIV. In Phase 1, HIV treatment adherence intervention experts and key stakeholders, including a community advisory board, will help to refine our pilot intervention as needed and update our manual to integrate information and skills building regarding HIV treatment adherence and retention in care. In Phase 2, a small randomized controlled trial of 80 participants (40 intervention participants divided evenly over 4 intervention groups vs. 40 wait-list control participants) will be conducted. Participants will complete surveys at baseline, and 4- and 6-months post-baseline to assess coping and HIV care processes and outcomes. Adherence will be electronically monitored, and viral load will be collected from medical providers at baseline and at 6-month follow-up. Intervention group sessions will take place once per week for 8 weeks. Sessions will take place in a private room at Bienestar (a Latino-serving AIDS service organization in LAC) and will last approximately 90 minutes. We hypothesize that the intervention will improve coping responses to discrimination and HIV treatment adherence.