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

Glenn Milo Santos, Benjamin Ackerman, Amrita Rao, Sara Wallach, George Ayala, Erik Lamontage, Alex Garner, Ian W. Holloway, Sonya Arreola, Vince Silenzio, Susanne Strömdahl, Louis Yu, Carol Strong, Tyler Adamson, Anna Yakusik, Tran Thu Doan, Poyao Huang, Damiano Cerasuolo, Amie Bishop, Teymur NooriAnastasia Pharris, Max Aung, Masoud Dara, Ssu Yu Chung, Marguerite Hanley, Stefan Baral, Chris Beyrer, Sean Howell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

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.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)311-321
Number of pages11
JournalAIDS and behavior
Volume25
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2021

Keywords

  • AIDS
  • COVID-19
  • Economic impact
  • Gay
  • HIV
  • Men who have sex with men
  • Mental health

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Infectious Diseases

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