A groundbreaking study focusing on the intersecting issue of social network disruption, stigma, and HIV transmission among forcibly displaced men who have sex with men (MSM) in Ukraine has recently been awarded a grant by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Led by Tetyana Vasylyeva, DPhil, assistant professor of population health and disease prevention at the UC Irvine Program in Public Health, this study aims to delve into the critical public health challenges faced by this vulnerable community in a region affected by war.
In situations of prolonged forced displacements, HIV transmission within and between forcibly displaced and local communities can be exacerbated by delayed HIV diagnosis and reduced viral suppression. Financial, logistical, and administrative obstructions further contribute to the public health crisis of these displaced individuals.
The researchers predict that forcibly displaced MSM will exhibit higher rates of substance use disorder (SUD) and HIV prevalence and will more likely appear in recent HIV transmission clusters compared to local counterparts. Furthermore, forcibly displaced MSM in Lviv, Ukraine, might have more stigmatizing social network ties that originated after migration compared to the forcibly displaced MSM in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. To test this, the study will examine the prevalence of HIV, SUDS, and MSM stigma through testing among local and forcibly displaced MSM in Kyiv and Lviv, analyze how social network compositions have changed since the onset of conflict in 2022.
“Forcibly displaced MSM can experience additional barriers due to stigmatization of their sexual orientation, particularly in countries with a high prevalence of MSM stigma such as Ukraine.”
– Tetyana Vasylyeva, DPhil
Additionally, the research team will utilize the study of evolutionary relationships (or phylogeographic analyses) to explore the influence of MSM stigma and social support disruption on HIV transmission dynamics within local MSM and forcibly displaced MSM.
“Changes in social network composition due to displacement can create avenues for increased stigma, underutilization of HIV services, and increase in risky sexual and drug use practices particularly among historically stigmatized groups,” says Vasylyeva.
The health and well-being of people at risk of and living with HIV are critically affected by displacement, political conflict, economic migration, and climate crises. Results produced from this study will help to contribute to a deeper understanding of how to properly support this vulnerable population and potentially curb the spread of HIV in Ukraine and in other similar settings globally.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01DA057141. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
