Living at the Confluence of Stigmas: PrEP Awareness and Feasibility Among People Who Inject Drugs in Two Predominantly Rural States

Gregory Carter; Beth Meyerson; Patrick Rivers; Richard Crosby; Carrie Lawrence; Summer Dawn Cope; David DeBruicker; Steven Levin; Whitney Meeks; Christopher Thomas; Brooklyne Turner; Chris Abert; Haley Coles; Alicia Allen; Eduardo Gonzalez-Fagoaga; Ravi Grivois-Shah

doi:10.1007/s10461-021-03304-x

Living at the Confluence of Stigmas: PrEP Awareness and Feasibility Among People Who Inject Drugs in Two Predominantly Rural States

Gregory Carter, Beth Meyerson, Patrick Rivers, Richard Crosby, Carrie Lawrence, Summer Dawn Cope, David DeBruicker, Steven Levin, Whitney Meeks, Christopher Thomas, Brooklyne Turner, Chris Abert, Haley Coles, Alicia Allen, Eduardo Gonzalez-Fagoaga, Ravi Grivois-Shah

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

We explored knowledge, beliefs, and acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention with reference to stigma among people who inject drugs (PWID) in two predominately rural U.S. states. We conducted interviews with 65 current or former PWID aged 18 years or older and living in Arizona or Indiana. Most (63%) of the interviewees were not aware of PrEP. They often confused PrEP with HIV treatment, and many believed that PrEP was only for sexual risk or gay sexual risk. Once they understood that PrEP was recommended for PWID, the participants held a positive view of PrEP and felt that a once-daily pill was feasible. Experiences of stigma about drug use remained a crucial barrier to accessing healthcare and PrEP. This was often linked with anticipated or expressed homophobia. PrEP interventions among PWID must focus on education and the confluence of stigmas in which PWID find themselves when considering PrEP.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3085-3096
Number of pages	12
Journal	AIDS and Behavior
Volume	25
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03304-x
State	Published - Oct 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Funding

This study was funded in part by the Indiana University Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge Initiative.

Funders	Funder number
University of Southern Indiana

Keywords

HIV prevention
Healthcare access
People who inject drugs
PrEP
Stigma

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Infectious Diseases

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1007/s10461-021-03304-x

Cite this

Carter, G., Meyerson, B., Rivers, P., Crosby, R., Lawrence, C., Cope, S. D., DeBruicker, D., Levin, S., Meeks, W., Thomas, C., Turner, B., Abert, C., Coles, H., Allen, A., Gonzalez-Fagoaga, E., & Grivois-Shah, R. (2021). Living at the Confluence of Stigmas: PrEP Awareness and Feasibility Among People Who Inject Drugs in Two Predominantly Rural States. AIDS and Behavior, 25(10), 3085-3096. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03304-x

@article{53e0ff2a66ab4091a920189b8b6c2bbf,

title = "Living at the Confluence of Stigmas: PrEP Awareness and Feasibility Among People Who Inject Drugs in Two Predominantly Rural States",

abstract = "We explored knowledge, beliefs, and acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention with reference to stigma among people who inject drugs (PWID) in two predominately rural U.S. states. We conducted interviews with 65 current or former PWID aged 18 years or older and living in Arizona or Indiana. Most (63%) of the interviewees were not aware of PrEP. They often confused PrEP with HIV treatment, and many believed that PrEP was only for sexual risk or gay sexual risk. Once they understood that PrEP was recommended for PWID, the participants held a positive view of PrEP and felt that a once-daily pill was feasible. Experiences of stigma about drug use remained a crucial barrier to accessing healthcare and PrEP. This was often linked with anticipated or expressed homophobia. PrEP interventions among PWID must focus on education and the confluence of stigmas in which PWID find themselves when considering PrEP.",

keywords = "HIV prevention, Healthcare access, People who inject drugs, PrEP, Stigma",

author = "Gregory Carter and Beth Meyerson and Patrick Rivers and Richard Crosby and Carrie Lawrence and Cope, {Summer Dawn} and David DeBruicker and Steven Levin and Whitney Meeks and Christopher Thomas and Brooklyne Turner and Chris Abert and Haley Coles and Alicia Allen and Eduardo Gonzalez-Fagoaga and Ravi Grivois-Shah",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.",

year = "2021",

month = oct,

doi = "10.1007/s10461-021-03304-x",

language = "English",

volume = "25",

pages = "3085--3096",

number = "10",

}

Carter, G, Meyerson, B, Rivers, P, Crosby, R, Lawrence, C, Cope, SD, DeBruicker, D, Levin, S, Meeks, W, Thomas, C, Turner, B, Abert, C, Coles, H, Allen, A, Gonzalez-Fagoaga, E & Grivois-Shah, R 2021, 'Living at the Confluence of Stigmas: PrEP Awareness and Feasibility Among People Who Inject Drugs in Two Predominantly Rural States', AIDS and Behavior, vol. 25, no. 10, pp. 3085-3096. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03304-x

TY - JOUR

T1 - Living at the Confluence of Stigmas

T2 - PrEP Awareness and Feasibility Among People Who Inject Drugs in Two Predominantly Rural States

AU - Carter, Gregory

AU - Meyerson, Beth

AU - Rivers, Patrick

AU - Crosby, Richard

AU - Lawrence, Carrie

AU - Cope, Summer Dawn

AU - DeBruicker, David

AU - Levin, Steven

AU - Meeks, Whitney

AU - Thomas, Christopher

AU - Turner, Brooklyne

AU - Abert, Chris

AU - Coles, Haley

AU - Allen, Alicia

AU - Gonzalez-Fagoaga, Eduardo

AU - Grivois-Shah, Ravi

PY - 2021/10

Y1 - 2021/10

N2 - We explored knowledge, beliefs, and acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention with reference to stigma among people who inject drugs (PWID) in two predominately rural U.S. states. We conducted interviews with 65 current or former PWID aged 18 years or older and living in Arizona or Indiana. Most (63%) of the interviewees were not aware of PrEP. They often confused PrEP with HIV treatment, and many believed that PrEP was only for sexual risk or gay sexual risk. Once they understood that PrEP was recommended for PWID, the participants held a positive view of PrEP and felt that a once-daily pill was feasible. Experiences of stigma about drug use remained a crucial barrier to accessing healthcare and PrEP. This was often linked with anticipated or expressed homophobia. PrEP interventions among PWID must focus on education and the confluence of stigmas in which PWID find themselves when considering PrEP.

AB - We explored knowledge, beliefs, and acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention with reference to stigma among people who inject drugs (PWID) in two predominately rural U.S. states. We conducted interviews with 65 current or former PWID aged 18 years or older and living in Arizona or Indiana. Most (63%) of the interviewees were not aware of PrEP. They often confused PrEP with HIV treatment, and many believed that PrEP was only for sexual risk or gay sexual risk. Once they understood that PrEP was recommended for PWID, the participants held a positive view of PrEP and felt that a once-daily pill was feasible. Experiences of stigma about drug use remained a crucial barrier to accessing healthcare and PrEP. This was often linked with anticipated or expressed homophobia. PrEP interventions among PWID must focus on education and the confluence of stigmas in which PWID find themselves when considering PrEP.

KW - HIV prevention

KW - Healthcare access

KW - People who inject drugs

KW - PrEP

KW - Stigma

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85106014311&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85106014311&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s10461-021-03304-x

DO - 10.1007/s10461-021-03304-x

M3 - Article

C2 - 34003385

AN - SCOPUS:85106014311

SN - 1090-7165

VL - 25

SP - 3085

EP - 3096

JO - AIDS and Behavior

JF - AIDS and Behavior

IS - 10

ER -

Living at the Confluence of Stigmas: PrEP Awareness and Feasibility Among People Who Inject Drugs in Two Predominantly Rural States

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this