title: Correlates of antiretroviral adherence and viral load among transgender women living with HIV.
abstract: Transgender women are 49 times more likely to become HIV infected than other groups, yet they are drastically underserved by current treatment efforts and report lower rates of treatment adherence then other groups. The objective of this study was to explore correlates of antiretroviral (ART) adherence and viral load among HIV-positive transgender women on ART utilizing a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of 59 transgender women. In multivariate models of ART adherence, correlates were age, stress appraisal of transphobic experiences, importance of gender affirmation, and adherence to hormone therapy. In multivariate models of self-reported viral load, correlates were stress appraisal of transphobic experiences and being in a relationship. This study provides preliminary evidence of transgender-relevant correlates of ART adherence and viral load.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine , University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Jae M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sevelius
authors.forename: Parya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saberi
authors.forename: Mallory O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012495:San Francisco; D019529:Sexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D063106:Transgender Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D014189:Transsexualism; D019562:Viral Load; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
keywords: HIV; health disparities; medication adherence; transgender persons; viral load