Associations Between Methamphetamine Use, Housing Status, and Incarceration Rates Among Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women

Abstract

The present study examined associations between methamphetamine use and social factors among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. Over a 4-year period, 7,419 HIV outreach encounters were conducted with MSM ( n = 6,243) and transgender women ( n = 1,176). Logistic and negative binomial regressions estimated associations between sociodemographics, incarceration history, housing status, and methamphetamine use. Incarceration history was associated with marginal housing or homelessness (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.4) and with increased likelihood (AOR = 6.00) and adjusted incidence rate ratio (AIRR = 3.57) of methamphetamine use. African American/Black MSM and transgender women were more likely to report a recent incarceration history compared with non-African American/Black participants (AOR = 2.18). Incarceration history was associated with a HIV-positive status (AOR = 1.69), and transgender women were 5.2 times more likely to report recent incarceration relative to MSM. Understanding these associations may provide a basis for developing interventions that account for the social factors influencing health outcomes among these two high-risk populations.