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Publication Profiles

Assessing the Role of Gay Community Attachment, Stigma, and PrEP Stereotypes on Young Men Who Have Sex with Men’s PrEP Uptake

Citation

Meanley S, Connochie D, Choi SK, Bonett S, Flores DD, Bauermeister JA. Assessing the Role of Gay Community Attachment, Stigma, and PrEP Stereotypes on Young Men Who Have Sex with Men’s PrEP Uptake. AIDS Behav. 2021;25(6):1761-1776. doi:10.1007/s10461-020-03106-7

Implementation stage:

Pre-Implementation

Implementation outcomes reported:

Adoption

Continuum target addressed:

PrEP initation

Geography:

Non-priority jurisdiction

Study Participant Classification:

Recipients of care

Plain Language Objectives

The researchers wanted to understand how stigma, connection to the gay community, and negative beliefs about HIV-prevention medicine were related to its use among young men who have sex with men.

Plain Language Abstract

Negative stereotypes about pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, may discourage young men who have sex with men from using it. Connection to the gay community could provide credible information and support, but community stigma could also reinforce negative beliefs. The researchers recruited 285 young men online and used structural equation models to compare possible pathways linking perceived stigma, gay community attachment, negative PrEP stereotypes, and PrEP uptake. In one model, stigma was associated with lower uptake partly through stronger stereotype endorsement; the estimated pathway through community attachment was less certain because its confidence interval included no association. In another model, stigma was related to lower PrEP uptake through negative stereotypes among participants with strong gay community attachment. These findings suggest that community connection alone may not overcome stigma when negative PrEP beliefs remain present. The authors proposed combining sex-positive PrEP communication with efforts to address stigma and stereotypes in gay social spaces. Because the study used observational survey data and statistical pathway models, it cannot prove that stigma or stereotypes caused differences in PrEP uptake.

Key Takeaways

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