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A new study out of New York University reveals that mental health burdens are playing a key role in the spread of HIV among young black and Latino men. The study finds that the "burdens of racism, homophobia, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder contribute to the HIV epidemic among both groups.
More after the jump.
According to Futurity.org (via NYU):
"The findings are from a recent study, which is part of a larger research effort called Project-18 that follows a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse cohort of approximately 600 urban HIV-negative young men.
Participants of Project-18 are self-identified as men who have sex with men (MSM), currently live in New York City, and are monitored every six months for three years as they transition from adolescence into young adulthood.
Studies show that gay, bisexual, and other MSMs account for more than 50 percent of all infections and more than 50 percent of recent HIV infections in the US, with some 70 percent in urban centers.
The latest findings, published in the journal AIDS and Behavior, support the notion that mental health, drug use, and unprotected sex are inextricably linked.
'The more burden these men face for being persons of color, economically disadvantaged, homosexual, foreign born, and simply discriminated against, impact their mental health,' says Perry Halkitis, director of the Center of Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies at New York University.
'Our additional analysis found that foreign-born men of lower socioeconomic status demonstrate a greater likelihood of unprotected sex.'
More trauma leads to more mental health burdens and exacerbates risky behavior, such as drug and alcohol abuse and unprotected sex, Halkitis explains. 'The fact of the matter is that these psychosocial stressors that gay men experience heighten their vulnerability to HIV.'
Halkitis received $2.9 million from the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) in 2009 to begin his study. While previous studies further conclude that consistent education efforts will aid in the prevention of spreading the disease among this population, Halkitis asserts that the research community must tackle the issue from a psychological and mental health standpoint.
'We take a holistic approach and believe that health states must be considered synergistically,' Halkitis says. 'Through this study, what we’ve done is show that these health problems—mental health burdens and risky behavior—are highly related when it comes to this population of gay men and their contraction of HIV.'"
Beyond increasing education and awareness, what can be done to improve the mental well-being of the gay population, especially within minority communities to decrease the rate of HIV infection?
Is mental health discussed enough within the gay community?
We'd love to hear your thoughts, Instincters!
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