Mindfulness, Mental Health and HIV Outcomes Among Female Sex Workers in the Dominican Republic and Tanzania

We examined the relationship between mindfulness, mental health and HIV outcomes among female sex workers (FSW) from the Dominican Republic (DR) (n = 201) and Tanzania (n = 208) using cross-sectional survey and biologic data. We employed stratified multivariate linear and logistic regression. Depression was associated with lower odds of ART adherence in the DR (AOR 0.25, 95% CI: 0.08–0.78) and of viral suppression in Tanzania (AOR 0.49, 95% CI: 0.24–0.97). In both countries, mindfulness was associated with lower odds of moderate to severe depression (AOR 0.82, 95% CI: 0.76–0.88 for the DR; AOR 0.85, 95% CI: 0.77–0.95 for Tanzania). In the DR, mindfulness was associated with lower odds of anxiety (AOR 0.83, 95% CI: 0.77–0.89), lower HIV stigma (β = − 0.28 per unit change, 95% CI: − 0.37 to − 0.19) and greater odds of viral suppression (AOR 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02–1.15). Findings demonstrate the potential of tailored mindfulness interventions to improve mental health and HIV outcomes among FSW.