The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) illustrate key areas in which the lives of women and children worldwide are in need, including improving maternal health and a reduction in childhood mortality. The success of meeting both these goals depends on reducing rates of vertical transmission of HIV. Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the areas targeted by the MDGs and bears a substantial degree of HIV disease burden, with well over 22 million people living with HIV at the end of 2008, a significant number of whom are women of reproductive age. Depression has been associated with non-adherence to the series of health behaviors known as preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. Women in resource limited settings are likely to face additional barriers to PMTCT adherence, including stigma and structural barriers. While structural barriers may be circumvented by relying on community resources (known as social capital), depression and stigma may make it difficult to access these resources. Thus, understanding the role of modifiable factors that contribute to PMTCT adherence is critical to meeting the goals of the MDGs. Candidate: I am a clinical psychologist and recently transitioned to faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. I am applying for a five-year K23 Career Development Award to obtain training and mentorship in order to become an independent investigator at the R01 level, and an expert in depression and adherence to health behaviors important to the health of HIV infected women in resource limited settings.

Mentoring

Both my primary mentor (Safren) and co-mentor (Bangsberg) have protected time to devote to my mentorship via K24 Mid-Career Investigator Awards in Patient-Oriented Research. Both are experts in the field of antiretroviral therapy adherence in international settings. Dr. Safren is aso an expert in depression and behavioral intervention development. In addition, I have assembled a team of consultants with expertise in other critical aspects of my proposal, including women's reproductive health (Smit), PMTCT (Peltzer), stigma (Kalichman), social networks and health (Christakis), and biostatistics (Ghebremichael). Research: The goals of the proposed project are to (1) investigate the relationships among perinatal depression, stigma, social capital utilization PMTCT adherence, and (2) to test a pilot intervention to treat perinatal depression and improve adherence to ARVs among HIV infected women in a resource limited setting. Training: My research activities will be supported by structured meetings with my mentors and coursework in advanced statistical methods, psychiatric epidemiology, and healthcare in developing countries at the Harvard School of Public Health, the timing of which will complement my proposed research activities. My exceptional mentoring team, strong institutional support, innovative research questions, and my commitment to addressing issues relevant to the health of HIV infected women and their children leave me well positioned to achieve my goal of becoming an independent investigator.

Public Health Relevance

While approximately 40,000 children become infected with HIV in South Africa alone each year, transmission of HIV from mother to infant can be reduced dramatically through a variety of techniques known as PMTCT (preventing mother to child transmission). Not all women complete appropriate PMTCT protocols and factors such as stigma and depression may play a significant role in non-adherence. Mathematical modeling studies have proposed that without increasing rates of adherence to these protocols, we will not see significant reductions in mother-to-child HIV transmission and therefore cannot reduce rates of infant mortality;thus, identifying the role of and intervening upon modifiable pathways of non-adherence is critical.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
Project #
5K23MH096651-02
Application #
8517205
Study Section
Behavioral and Social Science Approaches to Preventing HIV/AIDS Study Section (BSPH)
Program Officer
Kamath, Susannah M Allison
Project Start
2012-08-01
Project End
2017-04-30
Budget Start
2013-05-01
Budget End
2014-04-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$170,013
Indirect Cost
$9,339
Name
Massachusetts General Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
073130411
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02199
Psaros, Christina; Milford, Cecilia; Smit, Jennifer A et al. (2018) HIV Prevention Among Young Women in South Africa: Understanding Multiple Layers of Risk. Arch Sex Behav 47:1969-1982
Looby, Sara E; Psaros, Christina; Raggio, Greer et al. (2018) Association between HIV status and psychological symptoms in perimenopausal women. Menopause 25:648-656
Taylor, S Wade; Psaros, Christina; Pantalone, David W et al. (2017) ""Life-Steps"" for PrEP Adherence: Demonstration of a CBT-Based Intervention to Increase Adherence to Preexposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Medication Among Sexual-Minority Men at High Risk for HIV Acquisition. Cogn Behav Pract 24:38-49
Perry, Nicholas S; Remmert, Jocelyn E; Psaros, Christina et al. (2017) Learning to address multiple syndemics for people living with HIV through client perspectives on CBT. Psychother Res :1-11
Khidir, Hazar; Psaros, Christina; Greener, Letitia et al. (2017) Developing a Safer Conception Intervention for Men Living with HIV in South Africa. AIDS Behav :
Matthews, L T; Moore, L; Milford, C et al. (2015) ""If I don't use a condom … I would be stressed in my heart that I've done something wrong"": Routine Prevention Messages Preclude Safer Conception Counseling for HIV-Infected Men and Women in South Africa. AIDS Behav 19:1666-75
Psaros, Christina; Haberer, Jessica E; Boum 2nd, Yap et al. (2015) The factor structure and presentation of depression among HIV-positive adults in Uganda. AIDS Behav 19:27-33
Matthews, L T; Smit, J A; Moore, L et al. (2015) Periconception HIV Risk Behavior Among Men and Women Reporting HIV-Serodiscordant Partners in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. AIDS Behav 19:2291-303
Psaros, Christina; Barinas, Jennifer; Robbins, Gregory K et al. (2015) Reflections on living with HIV over time: exploring the perspective of HIV-infected women over 50. Aging Ment Health 19:121-8
Mimiaga, Matthew J; Closson, Elizabeth F; Safren, Steven A et al. (2015) Inkwari: an emerging high-risk place potentiating hiv spread among young adults in a hyper-endemic South African setting. Arch Sex Behav 44:307-15

Showing the most recent 10 out of 23 publications