Economic, Mental Health, HIV Prevention and HIV Treatment Impacts of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 Response on a Global Sample of Cisgender Gay Men and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men
Journal
AIDS and behavior
Journal Volume
25
Journal Issue
2
Date Issued
2021-02
Author(s)
Santos, Glenn-Milo
Ackerman, Benjamin
Rao, Amrita
Wallach, Sara
Ayala, George
Lamontage, Erik
Garner, Alex
Holloway, Ian W
Arreola, Sonya
Silenzio, Vince
Strömdahl, Susanne
Yu, Louis
Strong, Carol
Adamson, Tyler
Yakusik, Anna
Doan, Tran Thu
Cerasuolo, Damiano
Bishop, Amie
Noori, Teymur
Pharris, Anastasia
Aung, Max
Dara, Masoud
Chung, Ssu Yu
Hanley, Marguerite
Baral, Stefan
Beyrer, Chris
Howell, Sean
Abstract
There is an urgent need to measure the impacts of COVID-19 among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM). We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a global sample of gay men and other MSM (n = 2732) from April 16, 2020 to May 4, 2020, through a social networking app. We characterized the economic, mental health, HIV prevention and HIV treatment impacts of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 response, and examined whether sub-groups of our study population are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Many gay men and other MSM not only reported economic and mental health consequences, but also interruptions to HIV prevention and testing, and HIV care and treatment services. These consequences were significantly greater among people living with HIV, racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants, sex workers, and socio-economically disadvantaged groups. These findings highlight the urgent need to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 among gay men and other MSM.
Subjects
AIDS; COVID-19; Economic impact; Gay; HIV; Men who have sex with men; Mental health
SDGs
Type
journal article