The design and evaluation of a training program on culturally competent psychosocial care provision for men who have sex with men in Senegal.
Farah NabilKira GrachevAngel Gasch-GallenAnna Rosés I BellóEl Hadji Mamadou MbayeKhady GueyeNicole NkoumPublished in: PloS one (2023)
Men who have sex with men (MSM) experience a high degree of discrimination and marginalization in Senegal. Homophobia is pervasive in Senegalese society at the cultural, religious, and political levels. Its effects are reflected in the disproportionately high levels of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse among men who have sex with men when compared to the general population. Given the widespread stigma and the lack of structural support, healthcare providers play a critical role in reconciling the physical and psychological needs of men who have sex with men. This led to the design of a training program that aimed to improve the capacity of healthcare providers to deliver MSM-competent psychosocial care. The training was delivered virtually to 37 Senegal-based nurses and physicians. The program was quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated using pre- and post-testing. The findings demonstrate a general post-training increase in knowledge acquisition (9. 23%, p-value = 0.0021) and a 6.39% reduction in homophobia, which was statistically significant (p = 0.0376); with male providers outperforming female providers, and physicians outperforming nurses. This demonstrates the effectiveness and applicability of the program to support the psychosocial needs of men who have sex with men, and its capacity for future and broader implementation among healthcare providers.
Keyphrases
- men who have sex with men
- healthcare
- hiv testing
- hiv positive
- mental health
- quality improvement
- primary care
- palliative care
- sleep quality
- randomized controlled trial
- physical activity
- mental illness
- pain management
- health information
- hepatitis c virus
- social media
- hiv infected
- intimate partner violence
- antiretroviral therapy
- human immunodeficiency virus