Sociodemographic Characteristics Associated with Lifetime and Recent Traumatic Experiences Among People Living with HIV in Florida

Trauma prevalence among people with HIV (PWH) exceeds that of the general population by 2 times in the United States. Conducted within the Florida Cohort (2019-2022; n = 509), this study aimed to (1) describe the prevalence of 12 types of traumatic experiences (TEs) over a lifetime and within the past 12 months, and (2) describe whether the prevalence of lifetime and past 12-month traumatic experiences varied by age, race/ethnicity, sex assigned at birth, and sexual orientation among PWH in Florida. Participants were predominantly non-heterosexual men (42%) aged 50 + years (59%), identified as Black (43%), White (39%), and Hispanic (18%). TEs were measured by participants' "Yes" responses to questions about having ever experienced verbal harm, emotional abuse, physical abuse, harmful punishment, physical attack, being stalked, discrimination, hate crime, sexual harassment, unwanted sexual touch, forced sex, and transactional sex in their lifetime and the past 12 months. Chi-square analyses compared traumatic experience prevalence rates by age, race/ethnicity, sex assigned at birth, and sexual orientation, with significant differences reported at a p-value of < 0.05. Overall, the most prevalent TEs were lifetime emotional abuse (56%), verbal harm (55%), physical abuse (53%), and discrimination (44%). Younger participants (< 35 years) reported the highest prevalence of lifetime discrimination, unwanted sexual touch, and hate crime compared to those aged 35-50 or 50+ (p < 0.05). Patterns for the past 12 months were mostly similar. Non-Hispanic Whites reported the highest lifetime prevalence of emotional abuse, verbal harm, physical abuse, being stalked, forced sex, sexual harassment, unwanted sexual touch, and harmful punishment compared to Hispanics or non-Hispanic Blacks (p < 0.05). For past 12-month experiences, Hispanics reported the highest prevalence of discrimination compared to non-Hispanic Blacks or non-Hispanic Whites (p < 0.05). Male non-heterosexuals reported the highest lifetime prevalence of discrimination, verbal harm, physical attack, and sexual harassment compared to females or male heterosexuals (p < 0.05). Similar patterns were reported for the past 12 months. Overall, among PWH in this sample, there was a significant prevalence of lifetime traumatic experiences, particularly verbal harm, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and discrimination. This study highlights demographic variations in trauma prevalence, especially among younger individuals, non-Hispanic Whites, and male non-heterosexuals. Clinicians may consider the significant importance of screening for traumatic experiences due to their intersecting impact on the HIV care continuum. Further research is needed to determine whether trauma-informed interventions could enhance health care in this population.