Pre-Pandemic Predictors of Medication Adherence and HIV Viral Load During the First Year of COVID-19.

Studies have reported significant immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social relationships and healthcare of people living with HIV. This study followed a closed cohort of young people living with HIV over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were men and women (N = 140) age 36 and younger who were living with HIV and had demonstrated suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), unsuppressed HIV viral load, or active substance use in a run-in study. Results confirmed that participants continued to experience significant disruptions to their social relationships and healthcare over the course of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was evidence for sustained impacts on transportation, housing stability, and food security during the first year of COVID-19. Multivariable models showed that greater pre-COVID-19 social support predicted greater ART adherence and greater HIV suppression (lower viral load) over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts to plan and prepare people living with HIV for future social crises, including future pandemics, should emphasize building and sustaining social support.