Open AccessLinking Women Experiencing Incarceration to Community-Based HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Care: A Qualitative Study
Author(s) -
Susan E. Ramsey,
Evan G. Ames,
Julia Uber,
Samia Habib,
Laura Hunt,
Lauren BrinkleyRubinstein,
Anne M. Teitelman,
Jennifer G. Clarke,
Clair Kaplan,
Nicole Phillips,
Matthew Murphy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
aids education and prevention
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.309
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1943-2755
pISSN - 0899-9546
DOI - 10.1521/aeap.2021.33.3.216
Subject(s) - qualitative research , pre exposure prophylaxis , medicine , stigma (botany) , criminal justice , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , intervention (counseling) , family medicine , psychiatry , gerontology , psychology , criminology , men who have sex with men , social science , syphilis , sociology
Women experiencing incarceration (WEI) in the United States are disproportionately impacted by HIV, yet HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is underutilized by women in the United States. In order to inform an intervention to promote PrEP initiation during incarceration and facilitate linkage to PrEP care following release from incarceration, we conducted individual, semistructured qualitative interviews with WEI ( N = 21) and key stakeholders ( N = 14). While WEI had little or no previous knowledge about PrEP, they viewed it as something that would benefit women involved in the criminal justice system. Participants stated that HIV-related stigma and underestimation of HIV risk might serve as barriers to PrEP initiation during incarceration. Participants reported that competing priorities, difficulty scheduling an appointment, and lack of motivation could interfere with linkage to PrEP care in the community. Further, cost, substance use, and difficulty remembering to take the medication were cited most commonly as likely barriers to adherence.