HIV Stigma, Homophobia, Sexual and Gender Minority Community Connectedness and HIV Testing Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men and Transgender People Who Have Sex with Men in Kazakhstan

Paine E.A. Lee Y.G. Vinogradov V. Zhakupova G. Hunt T. Primbetova S. Terlikbayeva A. El-Bassel N. Wu E.
August 2021 Springer

AIDS and Behavior
2021 #25 Issue 8 2568 - 2577 pp.

Although HIV incidence is rising among gay, bisexual, and other men (MSM) and transgender people who have sex with men (TSM) in Kazakhstan, whether stigmatizing attitudes and connectedness are associated with HIV testing in this region is not known. We analyzed data from one-time interviews with 304 adult MSM and TSM conducted 2018–2019 in three cities in Kazakhstan. Logistic regression determined whether HIV stigma, internalized homophobia, sexual and gender minority (SGM) connectedness predicted HIV testing (within the lifetime, past year, and past 6 months) before and after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics. 80% of participants reported ever receiving an HIV test. Gay-identified participants reported less HIV stigma and internalized homophobia as well as greater connectedness relative to those with bisexual or other identities. In adjusted models, those who had ever tested reported lower HIV stigma (aOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.76–0.91, P <.001) and higher connectedness (aOR 1.17, 95% CI 1.06–1.29, P =.003) than those who had not; those who had ever tested reported lower internalized homophobia in the unadjusted model only (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91–0.99, P =.01). Similar differences and trends were found in models examining testing in the past year and past 6 months. Addressing stigmatizing attitudes and connectedness may improve uptake of HIV testing among MSM and TSM in Kazakhstan.

HIV stigma , HIV testing , Homophobia , Kazakhstan , MSM , Social connectedness , Transgender populations

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HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, 10032, NY, United States
Social Intervention Group, Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, 10027, NY, United States
Global Health Research Center of Central Asia, Almaty, Kazakhstan

HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies
Social Intervention Group
Global Health Research Center of Central Asia

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