Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background The interplay of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) knowledge and self-perception of risk for HIV among people who inject drugs is complex and understudied, especially among temporary migrant workers who inject drugs (MWID) while in a host country. In Russia, Tajik migrants make up the largest proportion of Moscow’s foreign labor. Yet, HIV knowledge and self-perceived risk in association with sexual risk behavior among male Tajik MWID in Moscow remains unknown. Objective This research examines knowledge about HIV transmission, self-perception of HIV risk, and key psychosocial factors that possibly contribute to sexual risk behaviors among male Tajik labor MWID living in Moscow. Methods Structured interviews were conducted with 420 male Tajik labor MWID. Modified Poisson regression models investigated possible associations between major risk factors and HIV sexual risk behavior. Results Of the 420 MWID, 255 men (61%) reported sexual activity in the last 30 days. Level of HIV knowledge was not associated in either direction with condom use or risky sexual partnering, as measured by sex with multiple partners or female sex workers (FSW). Lower self-perceived HIV risk was associated with a greater likelihood of sex with multiple partners (aPR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.34, 2.40) and FSW (aPR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.59), but was not associated with condom use. Police-enacted stigma was associated with sex with multiple partners (aPR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.49) and FSW (aPR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.54). While depression and lower levels of loneliness were associated with condomless sex (aPR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.24; aPR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.68, 0.92, respectively), only depression was associated with condomless sex with FSW (aPR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.54). Conclusions HIV prevention programing for male Tajik MWID must go beyond solely educating about factors associated with HIV transmission to include increased awareness of personal risk based on engaging in these behaviors. Additionally, psychological services to counter depression and police-enacted stigma are needed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate HIV risk behaviors and their multilevel determinants in male labor migrants from Tajikistan to Moscow. In Russia and Central Asia, where AIDS rates are amongst the world’s highest, conditions in both sending and receiving countries pose serious challenges to HIV prevention. A survey of Tajik married male seasonal labor migrants in Moscow was completed by 200 workers from 4 bazaars and 200 workers from 18 construction sites as part of a mixed method study. The quantitative results indicated that male labor migrants were at risk for HIV due to higher sexual behaviors including sexual relations with sex workers (92 %), multiple partnering in the past month (86 %), unprotected sex with sex workers (33 %), and reduced frequency of condom use while drinking alcohol (57 %). Multivariate tests indicated the multilevel factors that increased HIV sexual risks including: pre-migration factors (e.g. used sex workers in Tajikistan); migrant work and lifestyle factors (e.g. greater number of times visited Moscow); migrant sexual and relational factors (e.g. regular partner in Moscow); and migrant health and mental health factors (e.g. increased frequency of alcohol use). Qualitative findings from longitudinal ethnographic interviews and observations of a subset of 40 purposively sampled Tajik male migrants demonstrated how these multilevel pre-migration and migration factors account for HIV risk and protective behaviors in context. These findings underscore the seriousness of HIV risk for labor migrants and call both for multilevel approaches to prevention and for further study.

Objective: This study aimed to build formative knowledge on socio-structural barriers, protective factors, and HIV sexual risk amongst Central-Asian female migrants in Moscow.Methods: Data collection included ethnographic interviews in Moscow with a purposive sample of 30 unmarried female migrants, 15 from Kyrgyzstan and 15 from Tajikistan.Results: Study participants reported difficulties with acquiring documents for legal status, financial insecurity, discrimination, sexual harassment, and lack of support. Based on analysis of the cases, one pathway linked lack of legal documentation and instrumental support with elevated sexual risk. Another pathways linked traditional cultural attitudes with both no and moderate sexual risk.Conclusion: Future HIV prevention efforts with Central Asian female migrants in Moscow should be multilevel and include: increasing HIV and prevention knowledge and skills, promoting condom use with regular partners, identifying and supporting cultural attitudes that protect against HIV sexual risk behaviors, facilitating legal status, building community support, and increasing economic options.

This paper focuses on Tajik male migrant workers in Moscow and seeks to address the global public health problem of HIV prevention amongst male migrant workers. To develop feasible and effective preventive interventions for reducing HIV risk behaviors amongst Tajik male migrant workers in Moscow, this study aimed to characterize their HIV/AIDS risk and protective knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as key contextual factors that would likely impede or facilitate a preventive intervention. This was a collaborative multi-sited ethnography in Moscow that included minimally structured interviews with 16 participants and focus group discussions with an additional 14 participants. The results suggest that many Tajik male migrant workers in Moscow are having unprotected sex with commercial sex workers. Although some of the migrants have basic knowledge about HIV, the migrants’ ability to protect themselves from acquiring HIV is compromised by harsh living and working conditions as a consequence of being unprotected by law in Russia. To respond to HIV/AIDS risks amongst Tajik male migrant workers in Moscow, preventive interventions must be developed that respond to their sense of being unprotected in the midst of harsh living and working conditions and that draw upon existing sources of religious, community, and family support.

Little is known about the role of trauma and PTSD symptoms in the context of migration-associated HIV risk behaviors. A survey of Tajik married male seasonal labor migrants in Moscow was completed by 200 workers from 4 bazaars and 200 workers from 18 construction sites as part of a mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) study. The mean PC-PTSD score was 1.2 with one-quarter of migrants scoring at or above the cutoff of 3 indicating likely PTSD diagnosis. PC-PTSD score was directly correlated with both direct and indirect trauma exposure, but PC-PTSD score did not predict either HIV sexual risk behaviors or HIV protective behaviors. HIV sexual risk behavior was associated with higher indirect trauma exposure. PC-PTSD score was associated with some indicators of increased caution (e.g., more talking with partners about HIV and condoms; more use of condom when drinking). Qualitative findings were used to illustrate the differences between direct and indirect traumas in terms of HIV sexual risk. The study findings call for future efforts to address labor migrant’s mental health needs and to integrate trauma dimensions into HIV prevention.

This study was a pilot investigation of the feasibility, acceptability, and effects of TRAIN (Transit to Russia AIDS Intervention with Newcomers) a three-session HIV preventive intervention for Tajik male labor migrants performed in transit. Sixty adult Tajik male labor migrants on the 5-day train ride from Dushanbe to Moscow were randomly assigned to either the intervention or a control condition. Each initially completed an in-person survey then another 3 days later (immediately postintervention), and participated in a cell phone survey three months later. All participants came to all intervention sessions, were satisfied with the program, and completed all postassessments. In comparison with the controls, the TRAIN group reported significant increases in condom use with sex workers and non-sex workers, condom knowledge, worry about HIV/AIDS, talking with persons about HIV/AIDS, talking with wife about HIV/AIDS, community activities, and religious activities. HIV/AIDS prevention performed in transit is feasible, accceptable, and potentially efficacious in diminishing HIV risk behaviors in labor migrants.

This study examined condom use and intimacy among Tajik male migrants and their regular female partners in Moscow, Russia. This study included a survey of 400 Tajik male labour migrants and longitudinal ethnographic interviews with 30 of the surveyed male migrants and 30 of their regular female partners. of the surveyed male migrants, 351 (88%) reported having a regular female partner in Moscow. Findings demonstrated that the migrants' and regular partners' intentions to use condoms diminished with increased intimacy, yet each party perceived intimacy differently. Migrants' intimacy with regular partners was determined by their familiarity and the perceived sexual cleanliness of their partner. Migrants believed that Muslim women were cleaner than Orthodox Christian women and reported using condoms more frequently with Orthodox Christian regular partners. Regular partners reported determining intimacy based on the perceived commitment of the male migrant. When perceived commitment faced a crisis, intimacy declined and regular partners renegotiated condom use. The association between intimacy and condom use suggests that HIV-prevention programmes should aim to help male migrants and female regular partners to dissociate their approaches to condom use from their perceptions of intimacy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate HIV risk behaviors and their multilevel determinants in male labor migrants from Tajikistan to Moscow. In Russia and Central Asia, where AIDS rates are amongst the world’s highest, conditions in both sending and receiving countries pose serious challenges to HIV prevention. A survey of Tajik married male seasonal labor migrants in Moscow was completed by 200 workers from 4 bazaars and 200 workers from 18 construction sites as part of a mixed method study. The quantitative results indicated that male labor migrants were at risk for HIV due to higher sexual behaviors including sexual relations with sex workers (92%), multiple partnering in the past month (86%), unprotected sex with sex workers (33%), and reduced frequency of condom use while drinking alcohol (57%). Multivariate tests indicated the multilevel factors that increased HIV sexual risks including: pre-migration factors (e.g. used sex workers in Tajikistan); migrant work and lifestyle factors (e.g. greater number of times visited Moscow); migrant sexual and relational factors (e.g. regular partner in Moscow); and migrant health and mental health factors (e.g. increased frequency of alcohol use). Qualitative findings from longitudinal ethnographic interviews and observations of a subset of 40 purposively sampled Tajik male migrants demonstrated how these multilevel pre-migration and migration factors account for HIV risk and protective behaviors in context. These findings underscore the seriousness of HIV risk for labor migrants and call both for multilevel approaches to prevention and for further study.