PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Black young gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (B-YGBMSM) and transgender women (B-
YTW) are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS in the U.S. Youth in the House Ball Community (HBC), a
subculture of the Black gay community that offers a social network to freely express diverse sexual and gender
identities, are among the most at-risk for HIV infection and loss to care, but barriers exist to the provision of
HIV services within this community. One barrier is the increasing rates of violence. Interventions are needed
that will interrupt the cycle of violence within the HBC to allow for adequate provision of HIV services and
increased access to HIV care. We propose to tailor the Cure Violence model for violence prevention for
developmental-appropriateness, cultural-specificity and HIV relevance, then pilot test the new intervention
(#ChopViolence/#ChopHIV) with B-YGBMSM and B-TW in the Chicago HBC. The proposed research activities
will take place in six steps. In Step 1, we will hold Youth Advisory Board meetings, finalize our assessment
battery and conduct multiple baseline assessments (months 3, 9 & 15; n=75 per assessment point) at HBC
venues to track trends in violence (i.e., intimate partner, HBC and neighborhood violence), HIV stigma,
substance use, mental health, sexual risk and HIV care engagement. In Step 2, we will employ ADAPT-ITT
strategies for adapting evidence-based interventions including conducting a series of focus groups (n=32) with
youth and leaders from the HBC in order to identify persuasive messaging around decreasing violence and
improving HIV outcomes. Based on the focus group data as well as consultation with community experts, we
will then tailor the intervention to be relevant for the Chicago HBC and develop training materials along with
standard operating procedures. In Step 3, we will identify, recruit and train trusted members of the HBC to work
as Violence Interrupters (VI) or Outreach Workers (OW). VI and OW will undergo training over the course of
several weeks. Training activities include didactic seminars, webinars from the Cure Violence team, HIV
education, conflict mediation skills and mock interruption and outreach activities. In Step 4, we will pilot test the
tailored intervention. VI will monitor HBC events as well as social media venues for potential violence and
intervene. OW will build their client caseload with HIV+ youth identified as of highest-risk for violence and
schedule sessions, phone calls, and assist with HIV care linkage. In Step 5, we will conduct follow-up
assessments (months 21, 27 & 33; n=75 per assessment point) at HBC events to continue to monitor trends in
violence, HIV stigma, substance use, mental health, sexual risk and HIV care engagement. Qualitative
interviews will be conducted with VI, OW and HIV+ intervention clients to explore the processes and strategies
of intervention implementation, with a focus on implementation barriers and facilitators. Finally, in Step 6, we
will conduct data analysis, disseminate findings and produce scientific publications.
