Syndemic factors and HIV infection among men who have sex with men in Taiwan

Abstract

We tested the applicability of syndemic theory to men who have sex with men (MSM) in Taiwan. Of 200 MSM (mean age = 27.1 years) surveyed, the majority (54%) experienced at least one syndemic burden due to problem drug use, intimate partner violence, or HIV stigma. In multivariable analysis, MSM with one or more syndemic burdens had greater than threefold higher odds of being HIV-positive. The impact of co-occurring psychosocial health conditions on HIV infection among MSM in Taiwan indicates the importance of identifying and engaging HIV-positive MSM in effective treatment, and implementing interventions more broadly to decrease syndemic burden.

Keywords:

• Drug use
• HIV stigma
• intimate partner violence
• men who have sex with men
• syndemics
• Taiwan

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Josephine P. H. Wong, Ph.D., and participants in the community writing circle held by the Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment for helpful suggestions on the manuscript. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the participation of the staff and volunteers at the study sites, Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBT) Hotline Association (Taipei) and Taiwan GDi Association (Taichung). This study was supported in part by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Team Grant (THA-118570, PI: Newman). The funding organization had no role in any of the following: the design and conduct of the study, collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data, or preparation, review or approval of the manuscript.