A Trauma-Informed Intervention for the Newly HIV-Diagnosed

The current approach to HIV prevention emphasizes: (1) achieving viral suppression among HIV+ people in order to reduce HIV transmissibility, particularly for disproportionately affected groups such as Black sexual minority men (BSMM), by increasing retention in HIV care, and (2) addressing comorbidities and complications, which include mental health concerns such as trauma symptomology and severe acute stress reactivity. Despite the disproportionate impact of both HIV and traumatic stress on BSMM and the adverse effects of stress on engagement in HIV care, BSMM remain grossly underserved with respect to mental health. To address these gaps, the proposed study will develop an intervention that will: (1) provide a brief, resilience-oriented, trauma-informed intervention that combines online sessions and highly tailored text-messaging to reduce participant burden and motivate clients between sessions, (2) provide preliminary treatment for HIV+ BSMM's unaddressed mental health needs, and (3) be embedded early in the HIV continuum of care immediately after diagnosis to facilitate linkage to and retention in HIV care.