Feasibility and Acceptability of a Prospective Syphilis Sexual Network Study for Sexual Minority Men

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Sex Transm Dis
• Personal Author:
  Ricks, JaNelle M ; Spahnie, Morgan ; Endres-Dighe, Stacy ; Conroy, Sara ; Miller, William C ; Turner, Abigail N
• Description:
  Background: ; In preparation for a prospective syphilis network study of sexual minority men, we conducted a mixed-methods formative study with the following objectives: a) assess acceptability of respondent driven sampling (RDS), b) assess acceptability of study procedures, c) social network seed selection, and d) pilot an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study to assess social networking, sexual and substance use behavior. ; Methods: ; We conducted in-depth interviews with eight providers serving sexual minority men and five focus group discussions with 34 sexual minority men, prioritizing four target populations: 1) young Black sexual minority men, 2) on PrEP, 3) living with HIV, 4) not engaged in care. The 4-week EMA pilot was conducted with 40 sexual minority men. EMA survey responses were analyzed to evaluate how different compensation levels influenced response rates. Brief exit surveys were used to assess EMA app acceptability. ; Results: ; Primary themes identified through qualitative data collection: 1) importance of developing trust and maintaining confidentiality during proposed recruitment activities, 2) importance of compensating participants appropriately for study activities, and 3) cultural considerations for increasing visibility and participation of young Black sexual minority men. All EMA participants reported being “completely comfortable” reporting sexual behavior through the app. Most (78%) preferred the app to in-person interviews. Several participants identified technical issues with the app, including not receiving push notifications and spontaneous closure. ; Conclusions: ; This mixed-methods formative study allowed for adjustments to and tailoring of the planned network study, including recruitment protocols, compensation type and amount, and EMA survey wording and response items.
• Subjects:
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Sexual and Gender Minorities
  • Syphilis
  • Adult
  • Prospective Studies
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Sexual Behavior
  • Social Networking
  • Young Adult
  More +
• Keywords:
  • men who have sex with men
  • feasibility
  • ecological momentary assessment
  • focus group
  • sexual network
  • sexually transmitted infection
  • syphilis
• Source:
  Sex Transm Dis. 51(12):810-816
• Pubmed ID:
  39087947
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11560671
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  U01 PS005170/PS/NCHHSTP CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  51
• Issue:
  12
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/169983/cdc_169983_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 98.10 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c46e188a1c00396268c2058ab98dc86196f0a6477a75e37633154da78166f9a3bb9f93fb604b9d256a8d02575a8161e651f838f63d6cd5988a0cb66bcb76b761