Current Interventions for People Living with HIV Who Use Alcohol: Why Gender Matters

• Published in: Current HIV/AIDS reports Vol. 18; no. 4; pp. 351 - 364
• Main Authors: Wechsberg, Wendee M., Browne, Felicia A., Bonner, Courtney Peasant, Washio, Yukiko, Howard, Brittni N., van der Drift, Isa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-08-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alcohol; Antiretroviral therapy; Behavioral-Bio-Medical Interface (RJ DiClemente and JL Brown; Behavioral-Bio-Medical Interface (RJ DiClemente and JL Brown, Section Editors); Gender; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Intervention; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Section Editors; Topical Collection on Behavioral-Bio-Medical Interface; Women living with HIV; Alcohol misuse; Gender; Viral suppression; ART adherence
• ISSN: 1548-3568; 1548-3576
• DOI: 10.1007/s11904-021-00558-x

Purpose of Review
Alcohol is the most misused substance in the world. For people living with HIV (PLWH), alcohol misuse may impact ART adherence and viral suppression. This review of the most recently published alcohol intervention studies with PLWH examines how these studies considered gender in the samples, design, and analyses.
Recent Findings
Three searches were conducted initially, and 13 intervention studies fit our criteria with alcohol outcomes. In general, most studies did not consider gender and had used small samples, and few demonstrated significant efficacy/effectiveness outcomes. Five studies considered gender in their samples or analyses and/or were woman-focused with larger samples and demonstrated significant outcomes.
Summary
It is essential for women who misuse alcohol to not only be well represented in alcohol and HIV research but also for studies to consider the barriers to reaching them and their contextual demands and/or co-occurring issues that may affect participation and outcomes in intervention research.