Conall O’cleirigh

Biographic Data

ID	181053
NAME	Conall O’cleirigh
GIVEN NAMES	Conall
FAMILY NAME	O’cleirigh
SIGNATURE	O’CLEIRIGH C
AFFILIATIONS	Harvard University
ORCID	0000-0002-5639-5043
VERIFIED	Yes
TOTAL WORKS	116
TOTAL CITATIONS	99
AUTHOR COUNT	116
EDITOR COUNT	0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR	2002
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR	2026
H-INDEX	5

Intersecting stigma and sexual relationships among minoritised sexual minority men and nonbinary individuals assigned male at birth in Boston, USA
Open AccessAmelia M Stanton, James D Foley et al.ARTICLECulture Health & Sexuality2026
In the USA, Latino, Black, and other ethnically or racially minoritised sexual minority men and nonbinary individuals assigned male at birth experience a disproportionate burden of HIV and significant stigma that can impede HIV prevention. Understanding how stigma shapes sexual relationships and networking is critical for informing HIV prevention efforts. We conducted interviews with 18 ethnically or racially minoritised sexual minority men and n…
Family-centered interventions for people with substance use disorders in low-and middle-income country settings
Open AccessAshley A Sharma, Carol Mita et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of Drug…2026
BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders (SUD) present a significant global health challenge, impacting people who use drugs (PWUD) and their families. While family-centered interventions have shown positive outcomes in high-income countries, their application in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains unexplored. This scoping review sought to synthesize existing research evaluating family-centered interventions for PWUD in LMICs. METHODS: A c…
Trauma-related experiences among people living with HIV in Zimbabwe
Open AccessMia Akiba, Stephanie J Lewis et al.ARTICLESSM - Mental Health2026
Contextual factors shape trauma experiences of people living with HIV in Zimbabwe • Strong family and community ties and chronic stress environments influence these experiences • Local idioms (“thinking too much”) capture a range of trauma sequelae • Depression-focused interventions were generally well received by participants • Chronic stress and avoidance tendencies may need added focus to optimise care
Formative perceptions surrounding the use of a taggant-based adherence tool to measure antiretroviral therapy adherence in people with HIV
Jasper S Lee, Leanne Loo et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2026
Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is important in people with HIV (PWH). This study explores perceptions of a novel adherence measurement system (TruTag) using silica-based microparticles in ART pills that when scanned with a smartphone camera, indirectly measure adherence. Twenty PWH on ART were recruited from a community health center and operated the TruTag system during a semi-structured interview. Qualitative data were analyzed using…
The Syndemic Effects of Food Insecurity, Depression, and Gender-Based Violence on HIV Treatment Outcomes Among People with HIV in Zimbabwe
Open AccessJasper S Lee, Tsitsi Mawere et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2026
PrEPSteps
Open AccessPeter R Chai, Jasper S Lee et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2026
One of the key pillars of Ending the HIV Epidemic is ensuring adherence to oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Men who have sex with men (MSM) who also have substance use disorders experience multiple challenges to maintaining PrEP adherence. We developed a digital pill system (DPS) linked to a personalized adherence intervention, PrEPSteps, to address barriers to PrEP adherence, and tested the feasibility and acceptability of this system, …
Interpersonal factors associated with depression symptom severity among PrEP-naïve pregnant women in South Africa
Anvita Bhardwaj, Madison R Fertig et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2025
Depression during pregnancy is linked to reduced use and adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), increasing HIV risk. However, few studies explore how interpersonal factors shape depressive symptoms in pregnant women. We surveyed 110 pregnant women in Cape Town, South Africa, assessing depression and three interpersonal constructs: reproductive autonomy, dyadic trust, and relationship power. Participants had a mean age of 25.7 years and a m…
Psychosocial factors associated with the willingness to initiate and continue PrEP during pregnancy among PrEP-naïve persons in South Africa
Hyo Jin Shin, Lauren Gulbicki et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2025
In South Africa (SA), women are disproportionately affected by HIV, with increased risk during the peripartum period. Despite the availability, efficacy, and safety of oral PrEP to prevent HIV, uptake and adherence rates remain low. This study assessed the association of intrapersonal, partner-related, and community-referenced psychosocial factors with willingness to use PrEP among pregnant persons in SA. PrEP-naïve pregnant persons receiving ant…
Attitudes toward digital pill systems for antiretroviral therapy adherence among pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV in South Africa
Open AccessMadison R Fertig, Jasper S Lee et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Psychiatry2025
Future research should explore ideal Reader systems to facilitate use among this population in SA, especially among persons who report low ART adherence or have unsuppressed HIV RNA when presenting for antenatal care
I’ll Continue If I Have a Positive Mind”
Open AccessAmelia M Stanton, Madison R Fertig et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2025
Pregnant and postpartum people (PPPs) face heightened risk for HIV acquisition, yet depression and trauma-related symptoms can undermine adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). To inform the development of a brief mental health-focused adherence intervention, we explored the impacts of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on PrEP use among PPPs in Cape Town, South Africa. Twenty-eight PPPs with elevated symptoms of d…
PrEP Use Likelihood Among People Who Use Opioid Drugs
Open AccessMatthew C Sullivan, Madison Davis et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2025
Impact of Depression and HIV Symptoms on Glycemic Outcomes among Patients with HIV and Type 2 Diabetes
Open AccessVeronica Brady, Amanda L Willig et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2025
Identifying the ways in which tobacco cessation interventions have been tailored for sexual and gender minority individuals
Open AccessJustin J Fogarty, Madison R Fertig et al.ARTICLEJournal of Health Psychology2025
Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals smoke at higher rates than their heterosexual and cisgender peers. SGM persons, especially transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals, face unique, adverse health effects associated with smoking. As such, SGM individuals may benefit from smoking cessation interventions that are tailored to meet their needs. This systematic review aims to describe the ways in which these interventions have been ta…
Development and preliminary inter-rater reliability of the new PROOF tool to measure fidelity of problem-solving therapy for depression delivered by non-specialists in a low-resource African setting
Open AccessLily Cooke, Tarisai Bere et al.ARTICLECambridge Prisms Global Mental…2025References: 17
Problem-solving therapy (PST) is a brief psychological intervention often implemented for depression. Currently, there are no tools with well-evidenced reliability to measure PST fidelity. This pilot study aimed to measure the inter-rater reliability and agreement of the Pro blem-S o lving Therapy F idelity (PROOF) scale, comprising binary 14-item adherence and an 8-item competence subscales. Transcripts were from the TENDAI trial, a Zimbabwe-bas…
Adaptive coping, emotions, and antiretroviral therapy adherence among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) with HIV
Open AccessJames D Foley, Luc Bernier et al.ARTICLEJournal of Health Psychology2025References: 46
This study evaluated the hypothesis that positive emotions attenuate associations between negative emotions with adaptive coping and adherence, as well as explored evidence of the hypothesis of an indirect effect association between adaptive coping and adherence via positive emotions. The sample was 202 gbMSM with HIV who use substances (mean age [standard deviation] = 47.15 [12.26]; 34% Black, 14% Hispanic, and ≥50% with annual income ≤$20,000).…
Multiple Discrimination, Substance-Related Coping, and Depression Among Sexual Minority Men with HIV
C Chiu, Hyo Jin Shin et al.ARTICLEJournal of Homosexuality2025References: 53
Sexual minority men (SMM) with HIV who use substances experience multiple forms of stigma (e.g., experienced discrimination) related to aspects of themselves and their behaviors and are disproportionately affected by depression. More research is needed to examine the interrelations between multiple discrimination, including substance-related discrimination, and depression, and the intervening role of substance-related coping among SMM with HIV wh…
Disparities in depression and anxiety at the intersection of race and gender identity in a large community health sample
Open AccessAmelia M Stanton, C Chiu et al.ARTICLESocial Science & Medicine2025References: 80
Comparing Socio-Demographics and HIV Testing and Prevention Outcomes Between Low-Income HIV-Negative Heterosexually Active Black Women and Men with Health Insurance
Open AccessRachel David, Amy R Baugher et al.ARTICLEJournal of Racial and Ethnic…2025References: 22
“What if I got rejected by the girl? I would rather stop the pills”
Open AccessRebecca Jopling, Wilson Mutsvuke et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2024
Emerging adults aged 18-29 have high rates of viral non-suppression, and poorer adherence to ART when compared to older adults. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 emerging adults in Zimbabwe who had a recent history of viral non-suppression, to explore barriers and facilitators of adherence to ART. Interviews were coded using inductive thematic analysis. The mean age of participants was 23, 65% were male, and 79% reported acquiring…
Structural vulnerabilities and PrEP awareness among Boston heterosexuals and people who inject drugs at risk for HIV
Jasper S Lee, Abigail W Batchelder et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2024
Little is known about biopsychosocial factors relating to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) awareness among people with either heterosexual or injection drug use HIV risk behaviors. Participants engaged in vaginal/anal sex with a person of the opposite sex (N = 515) or were people who injected drugs (PWID; N = 451) in the past 12 months from 2018-2019 in Boston, MA. We examined associations between PrEP awareness and: homelessness; perceived HIV-re…
Alcohol and drug use severity are independently associated with antiretroviral adherence in the current treatment era
Jimmy Ma, Betty Luu et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2024
Substance use in people with HIV (PWH) negatively impacts antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. However, less is known about this in the current treatment era and the impact of specific substances or severity of substance use. We examined the associations of alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drug use (methamphetamine/crystal, cocaine/crack, illicit opioids/heroin) and their severity of use with adherence using multivariable linear regression in a…
The salience of structural barriers and behavioral health problems to ART adherence in people receiving HIV primary care in South Africa
Steven A Safren, Jasper S Lee et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2024
Multilevel factors (individual and structural) influence adherence to antiretroviral therapy, particularly in high HIV prevalence areas such as South Africa. The present study examined the relative importance of structural barriers to HIV care and behavioral health factors, depression and alcohol use, in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa. People receiving HIV care in six primary care clinics in Khayelitsha (N = 194) completed the Center for Ep…
Severity and Number of Substances Used are Independently Associated with Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Over Time among People with HIV in the Current Treatment Era
Open AccessJimmy Ma, Joseph Delaney et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2024
Past-Year HIV Testing, Current Antiretroviral Therapy Use, and Participation in Services for People Who Inject Drugs
Open AccessItunu O Sokale, Itunu Sokale et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2024
A Longitudinal Examination of HIV Risk Perception Accuracy among Sexual Minority Men with History of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Open AccessTiffany R Glynn, Norik Kirakosian et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2024

The ironson-woods spirituality/religiousness index is associated with long survival, health behaviors, less distress, and low cortisol in people with HIV/Aids
Gail Ironson, George F Solomon et al.ARTICLEAnnals of Behavioral Medicine2002
The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of an instrument that measures both spirituality and religiousness, to examine the relation between spirituality and religiousness and important health outcomes for people living with HIV and to examine the potential mediators of these relations. One aim was to determine whether subscales of spirituality, religiousness, or both would be independently related to long survival …
Psychosocial Factors Predict CD4 and Viral Load Change in Men and Women With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the Era of Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment
Gail Ironson, Conall O’cleirigh et al.ARTICLEPsychosomatic Medicine2005
OBJECTIVE: Most previous longitudinal studies demonstrating relationships between psychosocial variables and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression utilized samples of gay men accrued before the era of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), without including viral load (VL) as an indicator of disease progression or assessing the impact of medication adherence. This study sought to determine whether psychosocial variables …
Domains of Life Satisfaction Among Patients Living With HIV
Open AccessConall O’cleirigh, Steven A SafrenARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2006
Developing an HIV-Prevention Intervention for HIV-Infected Men Who Have Sex with Men in HIV Care
Open AccessRobert O Knauz, Steven A Safren et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2007
Personality correlates of HIV stigmatization in Russia and the United States
Open AccessRobert R Mccrae, Paul T Costa et al.ARTICLEJournal of Research in Personality2007Cited by: 1References: 20
Personality and HIV Disease Progression
Gail Ironson, Gail H Ironson et al.ARTICLEPsychosomatic Medicine2008
Objective: To examine the role of the big five personality domains (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness) and their respective facets and profiles on change in CD4 and log HIV-RNA copies/ml (VL) over 4 years. The examination of psychosocial predictors of disease progression in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has focused primarily on depression, coping, and stress, with little attention paid to stable individual…
A randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for adherence and depression (CBT-AD) in HIV-infected individuals.
Steven A Safren, Conall O’cleirigh et al.ARTICLEHealth Psychology2009
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cognitive-behavioral therapy to enhance medication adherence and reduce depression (CBT-AD) in individuals with HIV. DESIGN: A two arm, randomized, controlled, cross-over trial comparing CBT-AD to enhanced treatment as usual only (ETAU). ETAU, which both groups received, included a single-session intervention for adherence and a letter to the patient's provider documenting her or his continued depression. The intervention g…
Childhood Sexual Abuse Is Highly Associated With HIV Risk-Taking Behavior and Infection Among MSM in the EXPLORE Study
Matthew J Mimiaga, Elizabeth Noonan et al.ARTICLEJAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune…2009
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found high rates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) among US men who have sex with men (MSM). CSA history has been associated with a variety of negative effects later in life including behaviors that place MSM at greater risk for HIV acquisition and transmission. The present analysis is the first to examine the longitudinal association between CSA and HIV infection, unprotected anal sex, and serodiscordant unprotect…
Five‐Factor Model Personality Traits, Spirituality/Religiousness, and Mental Health Among People Living With HIV
Open AccessCorinna E Löckenhoff, Gail Ironson et al.ARTICLEJournal of Personality2009
We examined the association between five‐factor personality domains and facets and spirituality/religiousness as well as their joint association with mental health in a diverse sample of people living with HIV ( n =112, age range 18–66). Spirituality/religiousness showed stronger associations with Conscientiousness, Openness, and Agreeableness than with Neuroticism and Extraversion. Both personality traits and spirituality/religiousness were sign…
Demonstration and Evaluation of a Peer-Delivered, Individually-Tailored, HIV Prevention Intervention for HIV-Infected MSM in their Primary Care Setting
Open AccessSteven A Safren, Conall O’cleirigh et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2010
Childhood Sexual Abuse and Health Risk Behaviors in Patients with HIV and a History of Injection Drug Use
Open AccessSarah Markowitz, Sarah M Markowitz et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2010
Building Program Acceptability
Jeffrey R Driskell, Conall O’cleirigh et al.ARTICLEJournal of Gay & Lesbian Social…2010Cited by: 3References: 3
There is growing interest in integrating HIV prevention counseling for HIV-infected gay and bisexual men into HIV primary care. HIV-infected peers and professionally trained prevention case managers (PCMs) have been used to provide prevention counseling services. The current qualitative study seeks to examine participant perceptions of the acceptability of HIV-infected peer counselors and of trained prevention case managers from the perspective o…
Prospective Associations Between HIV-Related Stigma, Transmission Risk Behaviors, and Adverse Mental Health Outcomes in Men Who Have Sex with Men
Mark L Hatzenbuehler, Conall O’cleirigh et al.ARTICLEAnnals of Behavioral Medicine2011
BACKGROUND: The vast majority of research on HIV-related stigma has been cross sectional, and few studies have examined whether experiencing stigma is associated with sexual risk behaviors. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the prospective relationships between experiencing HIV-related stigma and symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as sexual transmission risk behavior. METHODS: The sample included HIV-infected men who have …
Substance Use
Open AccessAdam Gonzalez, Jennifer Barinas et al.ARTICLECurrent HIV/AIDS Reports2011
Body Mass Index, Depression and Sexual Transmission Risk Behaviors Among HIV-Positive MSM
Open AccessAaron J Blashill, Conall O’cleirigh et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2011
Promoting the Sexual Health of MSM in the Context of Comorbid Mental Health Problems
Open AccessSteven A Safren, Aaron J Blashill et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2011
Patterns of Substance Use Among a Large Urban Cohort of HIV-Infected Men Who Have Sex With Men in Primary Care
Open AccessMargie R Skeer, Matthew J Mimiaga et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2011
Forward”
Sari L Reisner, Conall O’cleirigh et al.ARTICLEJournal of Gay & Lesbian Social…2011References: 9
We examined the initial efficacy of “40 & Forward,” a manualized group intervention developed to reduce HIV sexual risk for gay and bisexual men age 40 and older who self-report problems with depression, isolation/loneliness, and social anxiety. A retrospective evaluation of program data from 84 participants (mean age = 51; 26% HIV infected) across four groups compared within-person change in mental health and sexual risk outcomes between baselin…
Cognitive behavioral therapy for adherence and depression (CBT-AD) in HIV-infected injection drug users
Steven A Safren, Conall O’cleirigh et al.ARTICLEJournal of Consulting and…2012
OBJECTIVE: Depression and substance use, the most common comorbidities with HIV, are both associated with poor treatment adherence. Injection drug users comprise a substantial portion of individuals with HIV in the United States and globally. The present study tested cognitive behavioral therapy for adherence and depression (CBT-AD) in patients with HIV and depression in active substance abuse treatment for injection drug use. METHOD: This is a 2…
Effect of Same-Sex Marriage Laws on Health Care Use and Expenditures in Sexual Minority Men
Mark L Hatzenbuehler, Conall O’cleirigh et al.ARTICLEAmerican Journal of Public Health2012Cited by: 44References: 30
Objectives. We sought to determine whether health care use and expenditures among gay and bisexual men were reduced following the enactment of same-sex marriage laws in Massachusetts in 2003. Methods. We used quasi-experimental, prospective data from 1211 sexual minority male patients in a community-based health center in Massachusetts. Results. In the 12 months after the legalization of same-sex marriage, sexual minority men had a statistically …
Anxiety Specific Pathways to HIV Sexual Transmission Risk Behavior Among Young Gay and Bisexual Men
Conall O’cleirigh, Lara Traeger et al.ARTICLEJournal of Gay & Lesbian Mental…2013
This study evaluated whether specific anxiety disorders increased the likelihood of sexual transmission risk behavior (TRB) in younger (ages 20-29) versus older (ages 30+) HIV positive gay and bisexual men. Participants completed screening measures for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Social Phobia, and Panic Disorder, and an assessment of recent TRB Moderated regression analyses indicated that PTSD was associated with greater risk of TRB in…
Moderate Levels of Depression Predict Sexual Transmission Risk in HIV-Infected MSM
Open AccessConall O’cleirigh, Michael E Newcomb et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2013
Optimizing Content for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Counseling for Men Who Have Sex with Men
Open AccessS Wade Taylor, Kenneth H Mayer et al.ARTICLEAIDS and Behavior2013
The Influence of Psychological Variables on Health-Related Quality of Life among HIV-Positive Individuals with a History of Intravenous Drug Use
Christina Psaros, Conall O’cleirigh et al.ARTICLEJournal of Psychoactive Drugs2013
Results indicate that distress (both depression and anxiety) contribute significantly to variation in HRQoL over and above the effects of disease variables. Effective depression and anxiety treatment may result in improved overall functioning
Lost-to-care and engaged-in-care HIV patients in Leningrad Oblast, Russian Federation
Anna Pecoraro, Matthew J Mimiaga et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2014
Sixty-nine percent of the 1.5 million Eastern Europeans and Central Asians with HIV live in the Russian Federation. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is effective but cannot help those who leave treatment. Focus groups with patients who dropped out of ART for ≥12 months (lost-to-care, LTCs, n = 21) or continued for ≥12 months (engaged-in-care; EICs; n = 24) were conducted in St. Petersburg. Structural barriers included stigma/discrimination and proble…