"Gwan Enjoy Life:" A Peer-Supported Mental Health Mentoring Intervention to Improve Engagement in Care Among Sexual Minority Men Living With HIV in Jamaica

Sponsor
University of California, San Francisco
Study ID
NCT07762612
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

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Conditions

  • Engagement in HIV Care
  • HIV
  • Mental Health
  • Pyschological Distress
  • Suicidal Ideation

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
MALE
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Gwan Enjoy Life Interveniton — OTHER
    The Gwan Enjoy Life intervention is a 6-session choice-based program. 1. Session 1: Introduction, identity, and risk 2. Session 2: Understanding HIV and Engagement in Care 3. Session 3: Mental Health, Trauma, and HIV 4. Session 4: Stigma, Violence, and Human Rights 5. Resilient Coping, Social Support, and HIV Disclosure 6. Session 6: Integration and Moving Forward Participants can self-select to either participate with the intervention content 1-1 with a peer facilitator (PMHM) or as part of group with other sexual minority men (SMM) living with HIV.

Study Details

Sexual minority men (SMM) in Jamaica face many challenges that affect their health and well-being. Although they make up a relatively small part of the population, they are much more likely to be living with HIV than the general public. Many also experience discrimination because of their sexual orientation, HIV-related stigma, violence, poverty, unstable housing, limited educational opportunities, and barriers created by laws and social attitudes. These experiences can have a serious impact on mental health, leading to problems such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and thoughts of suicide. Many people also face barriers to getting mental health care because of stigma or a lack of services that are welcoming and appropriate for their needs. These challenges can make it difficult for people living with HIV to stay connected to medical care and take their HIV medications consistently. Missing appointments or stopping treatment can make it harder to keep the virus under control and can lead to poorer health over time. While researchers know that stigma, discrimination, and violence affect health, we still do not fully understand how these experiences work together to influence HIV care among sexual minority men in Jamaica. To help address these challenges, we developed the Gwan Enjoy Life program, a culturally relevant program designed specifically for sexual minority men living with HIV in Jamaica. The program combines practical coping skills, emotional support, and strategies for managing the effects of trauma and stress. It is led by trained peer mentors who are also living with HIV, allowing participants to learn from people who understand their experiences. The six-session program gives participants the option of meeting one-on-one with a peer mentor or participating in a small group, depending on what they find most comfortable. The program will be tested in partnership with Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL), one of Jamaica's leading HIV service organizations. Sixty participants from JASL clinics in Kingston and St. Andrew, St. James, and St. Ann will take part in the intervention. Participants will be randomly assigned to either receive the Gwan Enjoy Life program or continue with their usual care, and they will be followed for one year. Researchers will examine whether the program improves mental health, strengthens social support, helps participants stay engaged in HIV care, and improves medication adherence. The goal of the intervention is to determine whether the Gwan Enjoy Life intervention is a practical and effective program that can be expanded to reach more people across Jamaica. The findings will help researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers better understand how stigma, violence, and mental health affect HIV care and will support the development of programs that improve the health and well-being of sexual minority men living with HIV.

Key Dates

First listed
Aug 13, 2026
Start date
Aug 25, 2026
Status verified
Aug 2026
Primary completion
Aug 30, 2027
Completion
Aug 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: Gwan Enjoy Life Intervention
    The Gwan Enjoy Life intervention is a 6-session choice-based program. 1. Session 1: Introduction, identity, and risk 2. Session 2: Understanding HIV and Engagement in Care 3. Session 3: Mental Health, Trauma, and HIV 4. Session 4: Stigma, Violence, and Human Rights 5. Resilient Coping, Social Support, and HIV Disclosure 6. Session 6: Integration and Moving Forward Participants can self-select to either participate with the intervention content 1-1 with a peer facilitator (PMHM) or as part of group with other sexual minority men (SMM) living with HIV.
  • No Intervention: Control Group
    Control participants will have access to usual care services available at all three clinic sites. They will have the opportunity to recieve the full intervention at the conclusion of data collection

Primary Outcome Measure

Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [ Time Frame: Baseline; 6 months; 12 months ]

Central Contacts

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