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Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Perceived Source of Infection Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) and Transgender Women (TW) Recently Diagnosed with HIV and/or STI in Lima, Peru

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Abstract

Risk perception and health behaviors result from individual-level factors influenced by specific partnership contexts. We explored individual- and partner-level factors associated with partner-specific perceptions of HIV/STI risk among 372 HIV/STI-positive MSM and transgender women (TW) in Lima, Peru. Generalized estimating equations explored participants’ perception of their three most recent partner(s) as a likely source of their HIV/STI diagnosis. Homosexual/gay (PR = 2.07; 95 % CI 1.19–3.61) or transgender (PR = 2.84; 95 % CI 1.48–5.44) partners were more likely to be considered a source of infection than heterosexual partners. Compared to heterosexual respondents, gay and TW respondents were less likely to associate their partner with HIV/STI infection, suggesting a cultural link between gay or TW identity and perceived HIV/STI risk. Our findings demonstrate a need for health promotion messages tailored to high-risk MSM partnerships addressing how perceived HIV/STI risk aligns or conflicts with actual transmission risks in sexual partnerships and networks.

Resumen

Las percepciones de riesgo y los comportamientos de salud son resultado de factores individuales que están influenciados por los contextos específicos de una relación de pareja. Exploramos factores a nivel individual y de pareja asociados con percepciones de riesgo sobre VIH/ITS específico por cada pareja entre 372 HSH y Mujeres Trans que eran VIH/ITS positivo en Lima, Perú. Modelos de ecuaciones de estimación generalizada (GEE) exploraron las asociaciones entre las percepciones de los participantes sobre sus tres pareja(s) más recientes como origen probable de su diagnóstico de VIH/ITS. Las parejas que se identificaron como homosexuales/gay (RP = 2.07; IC 95 % 1.19-3.61) o Mujeres Trans (RP = 2.84; IC 95 % 1.48-5.44) fueron más propensos en ser considerados como origen de la infección que las parejas heterosexuales. Los participantes gay y Mujeres Trans eran, en comparación a encuestados heterosexuales, menos propensos en describir a su pareja reciente como el origen probable de VIH e ITS, lo que sugiere un enlace cultural entre la identidad gay o trans y las percepciones de riesgo de VIH/ITS. Nuestros resultados demuestran una necesidad de mensajes de promoción de la salud adaptados a parejas HSH de alto riesgo y que aborden cómo las percepciones de riesgo de VIH e ITS se alinean o contradicen con los verdaderos riesgos de transmisión en parejas y redes sexuales.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the staff at Asociación Civil Impacta Salud y Educación and the CERITS Alberto Barton for their help in completing the study. We would also like to thank the participants of this study for sharing their lives with us. Research funding was provided by NIH Grant K23 MH084611.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Infectious Diseases and Program in Global Health, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 10833 Leconte Avenue, CHS 37-121, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Cheríe S. Blair, Eddy R. Segura, Amaya G. Perez-Brumer & Jesse L. Clark

  2. Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA

    Amaya G. Perez-Brumer

  3. Asociación Civil Impacta Salud y Educación, Lima, Peru

    Jorge Sanchez & Javier R. Lama

Authors
  1. Cheríe S. Blair
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  2. Eddy R. Segura
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  3. Amaya G. Perez-Brumer
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  4. Jorge Sanchez
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  5. Javier R. Lama
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  6. Jesse L. Clark
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Correspondence to Cheríe S. Blair.

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Blair, C.S., Segura, E.R., Perez-Brumer, A.G. et al. Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Perceived Source of Infection Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) and Transgender Women (TW) Recently Diagnosed with HIV and/or STI in Lima, Peru. AIDS Behav 20, 2178–2185 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1276-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1276-7

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