# Engagement in Care and Emotional Support in the Context of Interpersonal Trauma among Latino Immigrant Men with HIV: A Mixed-Methods Investigation

> **NIH NIH F31** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $48,974

## Abstract

PROPOSAL SUMMARY
Due to intersecting immigration, HIV, racial, and sexual minority statuses Latino immigrant men with HIV
(LIMWH) are at risk for high levels of exposure to interpersonal trauma (IT). IT is a social determinant of health
adversely impacting victims’ biopsychosocial and emotional health and has been associated with numerous
disparities including mental illness and poor engagement in care (EIC) among people living with HIV (PLWH).
Latino men are disproportionately impacted by HIV, and EIC-related outcomes such as retention in care
among Latinos are well below US and international goals. About 37-43% of Latinos newly diagnosed with HIV
are immigrants who face increased risk for IT such as violence before, during, and after migration. Latino
PLWH also have low engagement in mental health care and are at risk for low emotional support (ES)—a
protective resource shown to buffer the negative psychosocial, emotional, and behavioral impacts of IT.
Unfortunately, little is known about the impact of IT on EIC among LIMWH and the protective psychosocial
resources that influence EIC among LIMWH in the context of IT. To better understand these relationships
among LIMWH, this study will utilize the recent Patient Health Engagement (PHE) model describing
psychological and emotional processes involved in EIC. The purpose of this exploratory sequential mixed
methods study is to generate a rich understanding of the experiences of LIMWH with EIC and IT and the
psychosocial resources that HIV care teams can promote to improve EIC and psychosocial well-being among
LIMWH by addressing the following specific aims: Aim 1a: Understand the experiences of LIMWH (n=20) with
IT and the psychosocial and emotional influences that impact their EIC. Aim 1b: Understand the perspectives
of HIV care team members (n=15) caring for LIMWH regarding the impact of IT and psychosocial and
emotional influences on EIC in this population. Aim: 2: Examine the association between exposure to IT on the
continuum of EIC among LIMWH (n=100) while controlling for individual and interpersonal covariates. Aim 3:
Evaluate the association between ES and the continuum of EIC among LIMWH while controlling for individual
and interpersonal covariates. The proposed study will use preliminary results from semi-structured qualitative
interviews with LIMWH and HIV care providers from the Baltimore-Washington metro area to inform a
quantitative survey assessing the associations between IT, EIC and ES. The Framework method of qualitative
data analysis will be used to identify themes and key psychosocial variables to be included in the survey and
subsequent analysis using multivariable logistic regression models, model testing, and subgroup analysis. This
iterative approach incorporating the perspectives of LIMWH and HIV providers will strengthen the validity of the
findings and inform future research and psychosocial interventions among LIMWH to promote optimal EIC,
psychosocial wellbeing, and p...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10936511
- **Project number:** 5F31NR020865-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Owen Woodfield Smith
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $48,974
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-15 → 2026-05-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10936511

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10936511, Engagement in Care and Emotional Support in the Context of Interpersonal Trauma among Latino Immigrant Men with HIV: A Mixed-Methods Investigation (5F31NR020865-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10936511. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*