Black young gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (B-YGBMSM) and transgender women (B- YTW) are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS in the U.S. Youth in the House Ball Community (HBC), a subculture of the Black gay community that offers a social network to freely express diverse sexual and gender identities, are among the most at-risk for HIV infection and loss to care, but barriers exist to the provision of HIV services within this community. One barrier is the increasing rates of violence. Interventions are needed that will interrupt the cycle of violence within the HBC to allow for adequate provision of HIV services and increased access to HIV care. We propose to tailor the Cure Violence model for violence prevention for developmental-appropriateness, cultural-specificity and HIV relevance, then pilot test the new intervention (#ChopViolence/#ChopHIV) with B-YGBMSM and B-TW in the Chicago HBC. The proposed research activities will take place in six steps. In Step 1, we will hold Youth Advisory Board meetings, finalize our assessment battery and conduct multiple baseline assessments (months 3, 9 & 15; n=75 per assessment point) at HBC venues to track trends in violence (i.e., intimate partner, HBC and neighborhood violence), HIV stigma, substance use, mental health, sexual risk and HIV care engagement. In Step 2, we will employ ADAPT-ITT strategies for adapting evidence-based interventions including conducting a series of focus groups (n=32) with youth and leaders from the HBC in order to identify persuasive messaging around decreasing violence and improving HIV outcomes. Based on the focus group data as well as consultation with community experts, we will then tailor the intervention to be relevant for the Chicago HBC and develop training materials along with standard operating procedures. In Step 3, we will identify, recruit and train trusted members of the HBC to work as Violence Interrupters (VI) or Outreach Workers (OW). VI and OW will undergo training over the course of several weeks. Training activities include didactic seminars, webinars from the Cure Violence team, HIV education, conflict mediation skills and mock interruption and outreach activities. In Step 4, we will pilot test the tailored intervention. VI will monitor HBC events as well as social media venues for potential violence and intervene. OW will build their client caseload with HIV+ youth identified as of highest-risk for violence and schedule sessions, phone calls, and assist with HIV care linkage. In Step 5, we will conduct follow-up assessments (months 21, 27 & 33; n=75 per assessment point) at HBC events to continue to monitor trends in violence, HIV stigma, substance use, mental health, sexual risk and HIV care engagement. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with VI, OW and HIV+ intervention clients to explore the processes and strategies of intervention implementation, with a focus on implementation barriers and facilitators. Finally, in Step 6, we will conduct data analysis, disseminate findings and produce scientific publications.
The proposed research project has high relevance to public health because it focuses on Black, young gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (B-YGBMSM) and young transgender women (B-YTW), a population devastated by the HIV epidemic in the United States and exposed to high levels of violence and victimization. This study supports the National HIV/AIDS Strategy?s focus on HIV treatment and prevention for the most impacted US populations (youth of color).This community-based intervention development study also aligns with the NIH?s focus on reducing incidence of HIV among youth and addressing co-morbidities and barriers to adherence and retention in HIV care services.
