A Network Science Approach to Sex-Polydrug Use Among Black Sexually Minoritized Men and Transgender Women: The N2 Cohort Study

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Prev Sci
• Personal Author:
  Shrader, Cho-Hee ; Duncan, Dustin T. ; Knox, Justin ; Chen, Yen-Tyng ; Driver, Redd ; Russell, Jonathan S. ; Moody, Raymond L. ; Kanamori, Mariano ; Durrell, Mainza ; Hanson, Hillary ; Eavou, Rebecca ; Goedel, William C. ; Schneider, John A.
• Description:
  Black sexually minoritized men (SMM) and transgender women (TW) are subgroups with lower rates of substance use and comparable rates of condom use relative to White SMM and TW yet experience heightened vulnerability to HIV. This study sought to explore associations of substance use, including sex-drug use (i.e., drug or alcohol use during sex to enhance sex), and condomless sex among Black SMM and TW. Data were collected from Black SMM and TW living in Chicago, Illinois, enrolled in the Neighborhoods and Networks (N2) cohort study, from November 2018 to April 2019. We used bivariate analyses followed by a multilevel egocentric network analysis to identify factors associated with condomless sex. We conducted Spearman correlation coefficients to examine correlations between pairs of sex-drugs to enhance sex. We used a bipartite network analysis to identify correlates of sex-drug use and condomless sex. A total of 352 Black SMM and TW (egos) provided information about 933 sexual partners (alters). Of respondents, 45% reported condomless sex and 61% reported sex-drug use. In unadjusted analyses, marijuana (34%) and cocaine/crack (5%) sex-drug use were associated with condomless sex (p < 0.05). Condomless sex was positively associated with sex-polydrug use, or the use of 2+ drugs or 1 drug and alcohol (OR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.02-2.14; p = 0.039), and negatively associated with sharing an HIV-negative serostatus with a sexual partner (OR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.33-0.98; p = 0.041), having a different HIV serostatus with a sexual partner (OR = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.21-0.64; p < 0.001) or not knowing the HIV serostatus of a sexual partner (OR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.26-0.84; p = 0.011). The following pairs of sex-polydrug use had Spearman correlation coefficients higher than 0.3: marijuana and alcohol, ecstasy and alcohol, cocaine/crack and ecstasy, and methamphetamine and poppers (p < 0.05). HIV prevention interventions for Black SMM and TW designed to reduce HIV transmission through egocentric sexual networks could address sex-drug use through sex-positive and pleasure-centered harm reduction strategies and provide and promote biomedical prevention and care options at supraoptimal levels.
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Adult Black Or African American Chicago Cohort Studies Female HIV Infections Humans Male Sexual And Gender Minorities Sexual Behavior Substance-Related Disorders Transgender Persons Young Adult

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• Keywords:
  Condom Use HIV Prevention Multilevel Modeling Polysubstance Use Sexual Minority Men
• Source:
  Prev Sci. 25(4):638-649
• Pubmed ID:
  38372856
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11588306
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  T32AI114398/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/ ; K01 AA028199/AA/NIAAA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; T32DA031099/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; T32 AI114398/AI/NIAID NIH HHSUnited States/ ; T32 MH019139/MH/NIMH NIH HHSUnited States/ ; T32MH019139/MH/NIMH NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 PS005122/PS/NCHHSTP CDC HHSUnited States/ ; R01MH112406/MH/NIMH NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R03DA053161/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U2CDA050098/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R25DA026401/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U2C DA050098/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R49 CE003094/CE/NCIPC CDC HHSUnited States/ ; T32DA03109/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01PS005122/CC/CDC HHSUnited States/ ; R49CE003096/CC/CDC HHSUnited States/ ; R25 DA026401/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01DA054553/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; P30DA011041/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; P30 DA011041/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01 DA054553/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R03 DA053161/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01 MH112406/MH/NIMH NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R21 DA053156/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; T32 DA031099/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R21DA053156/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/ ; K01AA028199/AA/NIAAA NIH HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  25
• Issue:
  4
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:61167a89b0724438f459f6f998a7286be820f101f6fbce07499098f2206b78b3085e82cb564c2b646016d832141f9b164e431c3a7c74b926ffb9b08838d176f1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/170663/cdc_170663_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 565.55 KB ]