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The Role of Structural Barriers in Risky Sexual Behavior, Victimization and Readiness to Change HIV/STI-Related Risk Behavior Among Transgender Women

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An Erratum to this article was published on 19 July 2016

Abstract

This study examines the role of structural barriers experienced by a community-based sample of 63 HIV-positive and negative transgender women that may elevate HIV infection and transmission risks. Separate hierarchical linear multiple regression analyses tested the association between structural barriers (e.g., unemployment, lack of food, shelter) and condomless anal sex acts, abuse, and readiness to change risk behavior, while controlling for other related factors. Among this primarily Hispanic and African-American sample, HIV-positive and negative transgender women experienced a similar number of structural barriers and experiencing structural barriers was significantly associated with an increased number of condomless anal sex acts (p = .002), victimization (p = .000) and a decreased readiness to change HIV-related risk behavior (p = .014). Structural-level interventions are needed to address this elevated risk among this underserved and hard-to-reach population.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of Health and Human Services through a cooperative agreement (UR6/PS000422; Jeffrey T. Parsons, Principal Investigator) with Hunter College, City University of New York. The authors acknowledge Dr. Juline Koken, James Kelleher, Catherine Holder, Guido Sanchez, Joi-Elle White, Chris Hietikko, and Hudson Pride Connections for their contributions to the study, as well as all of the transgender women who participated in this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Jerris L. Raiford, Grace J. Hall & Raekiela D. Taylor

  2. LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York, Long Island City, Queens, NY, USA

    David S. Bimbi

  3. Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    David S. Bimbi & Jeffrey T. Parsons

  4. Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training, New York, NY, USA

    David S. Bimbi & Jeffrey T. Parsons

  5. Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Jeffrey T. Parsons

Authors
  1. Jerris L. Raiford
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  2. Grace J. Hall
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  3. Raekiela D. Taylor
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  4. David S. Bimbi
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  5. Jeffrey T. Parsons
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Correspondence to Jerris L. Raiford.

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CDC Disclaimer The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1440-8.

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Raiford, J.L., Hall, G.J., Taylor, R.D. et al. The Role of Structural Barriers in Risky Sexual Behavior, Victimization and Readiness to Change HIV/STI-Related Risk Behavior Among Transgender Women. AIDS Behav 20, 2212–2221 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1424-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1424-8

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