Interventions for Improving HIV Care Continuum Outcomes Among LGBTQ+ Youth in the United States: A Narrative Review

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and all sexually and gender diverse (LGBTQ+) youth with HIV face multiple barriers to progression along the HIV care continuum. We searched PubMed, PsycInfo, clinicaltrials.gov, and the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions for interventions focused on improving linkage to care, retention in care, adherence to antiretroviral therapy, or viral suppression (VS) among LGBTQ+ youth with HIV in the United States. Included studies were published in English between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2022, took place in the United States, and had samples with a minimum age of 12 years, a median or mean age of 24 years or less, and with ≥50% reporting an LGBTQ+ identity. Our search identified 11 interventions that met our criteria, of which only three were designed and tailored exclusively for LGBTQ+ populations. Interventions used a variety of modalities, including remote electronic delivery, in-person delivery, or both. Interventions most commonly aimed to enhance self-efficacy, HIV health knowledge, and medication self-management to facilitate improvements in HIV care continuum outcomes. Only two interventions showed statistically significant improvements in VS. More interventions tailored for LGBTQ+ youth are needed to end the HIV epidemic in the United States.