Deanna Kerrigan
Biographic Data
| ID | 3582422 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Deanna Kerrigan |
| GIVEN NAMES | Deanna |
| FAMILY NAME | Kerrigan |
| SIGNATURE | KERRIGAN D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Johns Hopkins University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7401-9159 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 114 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 246 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 114 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2001 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
“Now My Body Asks Me for Peace and Tranquility ”
There is limited understanding of aging experiences among transgender (trans) women in Latin America and the Caribbean. The purpose of this community-engaged, formative study was to explore lived experiences and perceptions of aging among trans women in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. From August to October 2024, we conducted in-depth interviews with trans women (n = 19) 45 years and older and analyzed data using narrative and thematic techniq…
Developing and assessing acceptability of a shared decision-making tool for selecting among HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis options in the United States of America
We developed a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) shared decision-making tool to support people who could benefit from PrEP in reaching their prevention goals and preferences when considering two effective PrEP modalities, oral or long-acting injectable (LAI) PrEP, in partnership with their healthcare providers (HCPs). This 2-phase study included formative research to develop a PrEP shared decision-making tool prototype followed by a pilot study to …
The Role of Mobility in HIV Intervention Engagement and Community Mobilization among Female Sex Workers Living with HIV in the Dominican Republic
Female sex workers (FSWs) are often a mobile population, but the role of mobility in influencing FSW social capital outcomes-defined here as engagement with HIV intervention activities and community mobilization-remains unclear. To date, the evidence is mixed, with mobility both facilitating and hindering community engagement, depending on the context. This study is the first to employ a mixed-methods approach to examine how mobility impacts thes…
Longitudinal analysis of the role of mindfulness on HIV stigma, depression, substance use and HIV outcomes among female sex workers living with HIV in the Dominican Republic
Female sex workers (FSW) living with HIV experience greater depression and worse HIV outcomes than people living with HIV (PLHIV) overall. Mindfulness is related to lower depression and higher ART adherence in PLHIV. Few studies have assessed these relationships among FSW, especially longitudinally. This study assessed the temporal relationship between mindfulness, mental health and HIV outcomes among FSW from the Dominican Republic (DR). We anal…
From Tanzania to Washington, DC
Corona’ was bigger than Aids
Initial efforts to control COVID-19 included restricting human movement, which caused heightened economic insecurity and challenges to the management of chronic health conditions such as HIV. The aims of this study were to: (1) explore how female sex workers living with HIV in the Dominican Republic and Tanzania, two different cultural and epidemic contexts, reacted to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) assess how lockdown measures impac…
“You know that we travel a lot”
Female sex workers (FSW) are highly mobile, which may result in reduced access to and use of health services and increased risk for poor health outcomes, particularly for those living with HIV. Mobility includes spatial, temporal, and social elements that are not fully captured by quantitative measures. We conducted two rounds of in-depth interviews with FSW living with HIV in Iringa, Tanzania (n = 20), and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (n = …
Exploring the dynamics of the quality of HIV care experienced by female sex workers living in the Dominican Republic
Despite increased attention and efforts to improve HIV care among female sex workers (FSWs), they continue to have suboptimal HIV outcomes. Exploring the socio-structural dynamics related to the quality of HIV care received by FSWs is critical to further strengthen interventions to improve their HIV care continuum outcomes. In this study, we conducted two rounds of qualitative in-depth interviews with 20 FSWs living with HIV in the Dominican Repu…
Contextualizing and optimizing novel strategies to improve the latent TB continuum of care
Tuberculosis (TB) causes 1 in 3 deaths among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Diagnosing and treating latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is critical to reducing TB incidence and mortality. Blood-based screening tests (e.g., QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT+)) and shorter-course TB preventive therapy (TPT) regimens such as 3HP (3 months weekly isoniazid-rifapentine) hold significant promise to improve TB outcomes. We qualitatively explored barriers …
Beyond a deficit-based approach
Female sex workers (FSWs) live and work at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities that place them at greater risk for various negative health outcomes. Resilience theory asserts that an individual or community needs assets from which they can draw in response to stressors, such as chronic discrimination and abuse. This study characterizes and compares patterns of assets among cisgender and transgender FSWs living with HIV in the Dom…
Individual and Collective Forms of Stigma Resistance
Stigma and HIV Treatment Outcomes Among Transgender Women Sex Workers in the Dominican Republic
“She is the one who knows”
Despite documented interest among female sex workers (FSW), uptake of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention has been low. Recent trials and regulatory approval of long-acting injectable (LAI) PrEP offer new hope for the potential of this biomedical intervention. We examined FSW’s PrEP-related interest and preferences regarding both oral and LAI PrEP situating these dynamics within their specific social and occupational realities…
Mindfulness instruction for medication adherence among adolescents and young adults living with HIV
Adolescents and young adults (AYA) 13–24 years old make up a disproportionate 21% of new HIV diagnoses. Unfortunately, they are less likely to treat HIV effectively, with only 30% achieving viral suppression, limiting efforts to interrupt HIV transmission. Previous work with mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has shown promise for improving treatment in AYA living with HIV (AYALH). This randomized controlled trial compared MBSR with genera…
Context and Considerations for the Development of Community-Informed Health Communication Messaging to Support Equitable Uptake of Covid-19 Vaccines Among Communities of Color in Washington, DC
Experiences of women raising children with congenital Zika syndrome along a trajectory of prevention, care and support in Brazil
Social science research investigating the social dynamics of Zika and congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) is essential to inform future services related to Zika and other infectious diseases. We sought to understand lived experiences with Zika during pregnancy, birth, and post-partum by conducting in-depth interviews with a sample of 31 women infected with Zika during the 2015-16 outbreak who had a child with CZS in Pernambuco, Brazil. Transcripts wer…
Substance Use and Depression Impede ART Adherence Among Female Sex Workers Living with HIV in the Dominican Republic
Assessing the Relationship Between HIV Quality of Care and Treatment Literacy on ART Adherence and Viral Suppression Among Female Sex Workers Living in the Dominican Republic
Relationships Between Stigma and Intimate Partner Violence Among Female Sex Workers Living With HIV
Violence against female sex workers (FSWs) perpetrated by their intimate (i.e., non-commercial) partners, particularly against FSWs living with HIV, is understudied. Stigma can deplete the economic resources, social relationships, and mental well-being of stigmatized people, which may increase their intimate partner violence (IPV) risk. We quantitatively assessed relationships between HIV stigma and sex work stigma and IPV victimization among FSW…
HIV-Related Intersectional Stigma and Discrimination Measurement
Background. Across settings, individuals from populations that are multiply stigmatized are at increased risk of HIV and experience worse HIV treatment outcomes. As evidence expands on how intersecting stigmatized identities and conditions influence HIV outcomes, researchers have used diverse quantitative approaches to measure HIV-related intersectional stigma and discrimination. To date, no clear consensus exists regarding how to best quantitati…
Methods in HIV-Related Intersectional Stigma Research
Researchers are increasingly recognizing the importance of studying and addressing intersectional stigma within the field of HIV. Yet, researchers have, arguably, struggled to operationalize intersectional stigma. To ensure that future research and methodological innovation is guided by frameworks from which this area of inquiry has arisen, we propose a series of core elements for future HIV-related intersectional stigma research. These core elem…
Stigma, social cohesion, and mental health among transgender women sex workers living with HIV in the Dominican Republic
Globally, transgender (trans) women experience pervasive stigma, which contributes to health inequities across multiple mental health outcomes. While trans stigma has been associated with increased mental health challenges, less is known about how stigma related to sex work and HIV affect mental health. Social cohesion may ameliorate the negative health consequences of stigma, but little is known about how social cohesion is associated with menta…
Acceptability and perceptions of HIV oral self-testing across settings
Rapid oral HIV self-tests (HIVST) have potential to increase the proportion of people who know their HIV status, especially among stigmatised populations. This study was embedded in two cohorts of female sex workers (FSW) in the Dominican Republic (DR) and Tanzania. Qualitative interviews with 40 FSW were conducted to explore perceived acceptability of HIVST. Interviews were analysed using inductive and deductive thematic coding. Emergent themes …
Family planning use and correlates among female sex workers in a community empowerment HIV prevention intervention in Iringa, Tanzania
There is a clear need for family planning among this population. General program exposure and exposure to a family planning workshop were associated with higher family planning use, which suggests that community empowerment models have potential to increase family planning uptake for this vulnerable group
Probing the Processes
Longitudinal qualitative research can provide rich understanding of the life circumstances of vulnerable groups who experience health inequities, of whether, how and why these circumstances change, and of how these circumstances and processes of change impact health. But, this rich understanding is not automatic and requires systematic and thoughtful approaches to data collection and analysis. The purpose of this paper is to describe two longitud…
Managing uncertainty
Staying Strong
This paper explores adolescents' definitions of what it means to be a man and a woman, the psycho-social context surrounding the formation of gender ideologies and their relationship to HIV/STI prevention. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with fifty African-American adolescents living in Baltimore, Maryland. Female gender ideologies included economic independence, emotional strength and caretaking. Male gender ideologies emphas…
Environmental–Structural Interventions to Reduce HIV/STI Risk Among Female Sex Workers in the Dominican Republic
Objectives. We assessed the effectiveness of 2 environmental–structural interventions in reducing risks of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among female sex workers in the Dominican Republic. Methods. Two intervention models were implemented over a 1-year period: community solidarity in Santo Domingo and solidarity combined with government policy in Puerto Plata. Both were evaluated via preintervention–postintervention cross-section…
Talking the talk, walking the walk
Social-Environmental Factors and Protective Sexual Behavior Among Sex Workers
Objectives. We sought to determine the association of social–environmental factors with condom use and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among 420 sex workers participating in an STI/HIV prevention study in Corumbá, Brazil, to inform future intervention efforts. Methods. Participants provided urine samples for polymerase chain reaction testing of chlamydia and gonorrhea and responded to multi-item scales addressing perceived social cohesion,…
Relationships Between Perceived STD‐Related Stigma, STD‐Related Shame and STD Screening Among a Household Sample of Adolescents
Adolescents who view STDs as stigmatizing have a reduced likelihood of being screened, but it is unclear whether this relationship reflects their care seeking or providers' practice of offering STD screening at a routine health visit
Understanding Sex Partner Selection From the Perspective of Inner‐City Black Adolescents
CONTEXT: Black adolescents in inner‐city settings are at increased risk for HIV and other STDs. Sex partner characteristics, as well as individual behavior, influence individuals' STD risk, yet little is known about the process of sex partner selection for adolescents in this setting. METHODS: Semistructured in‐depth interviews were conducted during the summer and fall of 2002 with 50 inner‐city black adolescents (26 females and 24 males) who had…
Exploring Meaning and Types of Trust in Maternity Care in Peri-Urban Kenya
Trust offers a distinctive lens on facility responsiveness during labor and birth. Though acknowledged in prior literature, limited work exists linking conceptual and empirical spheres. This study explores trust in the maternity setting in Kenya through a theoretically driven qualitative approach. Focus groups ( n = 8, N = 70) with women who recently gave birth (WRB), pregnant women, and male partners, and in-depth-interviews ( n = 33) with WRB, …
Methods in HIV-Related Intersectional Stigma Research
Researchers are increasingly recognizing the importance of studying and addressing intersectional stigma within the field of HIV. Yet, researchers have, arguably, struggled to operationalize intersectional stigma. To ensure that future research and methodological innovation is guided by frameworks from which this area of inquiry has arisen, we propose a series of core elements for future HIV-related intersectional stigma research. These core elem…
HIV-Related Intersectional Stigma and Discrimination Measurement
Background. Across settings, individuals from populations that are multiply stigmatized are at increased risk of HIV and experience worse HIV treatment outcomes. As evidence expands on how intersecting stigmatized identities and conditions influence HIV outcomes, researchers have used diverse quantitative approaches to measure HIV-related intersectional stigma and discrimination. To date, no clear consensus exists regarding how to best quantitati…
Female Sex Workers' Experiences with Intended Pregnancy and Antenatal Care Services in Southern Tanzania
Understanding the pregnancy experiences of female sex workers (FSWs), especially in the context of high rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), is essential to tailoring services to meet their needs. This study explores FSWs' experiences with intended pregnancy and access to antenatal care and HIV testing in two regions of Tanzania. Thirty in‐depth interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted. FSWs sought to become…
The search for social validation and the sexual behavior of people living with HIV in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
HIV Stigma Mediates the Association Between Social Cohesion and Consistent Condom Use Among Female Sex Workers Living with HIV in the Dominican Republic
Violence Against Women and HIV Risk Behaviors in Kampala, Uganda
This article presents baseline data from the SASA! (this is the Swahili for 'now') Study, a cluster randomized trial of a community-mobilization intervention to prevent violence against women and HIV/AIDS in Kampala, Uganda. Logistic regression was used to explore associations between intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual risk behaviors, among 1,206 ever-partnered men and women (18-49 years). Twenty-seven percent of women reported past-year …
Gender Ideologies, Socioeconomic Opportunities, and HIV/STI-related Vulnerability among Female, African-American Adolescents
Chaos, co-existence, and the potential for collective action
Adapting the Thai 100% condom programme
The reported success of the Thai 100% Condom Programme prompted interest in adapting such an approach to HIV prevention in the Dominican Republic. Qualitative research methods were utilized to examine the acceptability and feasibility of doing so, as well as to investigate socio-cultural and political issues affecting condom use in the Dominican female sex industry. Study participants included female sex workers, male paying clients and non-payin…
Environmental-structural factors significantly associated with consistent condom use among female sex workers in the Dominican Republic
OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of environmental-structural factors in promoting consistent condom use (CCU) among female sex workers (FSW) and their regular paying partners in the Dominican Republic. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 288 FSW recruited from 41 sex establishments in Santo Domingo from March to June 1998. Sex workers were asked about their sexual behavior, self-efficacy at negotiating safe sex, perceived inti…
Perceived Neighborhood Social Cohesion and Condom Use Among Adolescents Vulnerable to HIV/STI
The Role of Relationship Intimacy in Consistent Condom Use Among Female Sex Workers and Their Regular Paying Partners in the Dominican Republic
Understanding Sex Partner Selection From the Perspective of Inner-City Black Adolescents
CONTEXT: Black adolescents in inner-city settings are at increased risk for HIV and other STDs. Sex partner characteristics, as well as individual behavior, influence individuals' STD risk, yet little is known about the process of sex partner selection for adolescents in this setting. METHODS: Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted during the summer and fall of 2002 with 50 inner-city black adolescents (26 females and 24 males) who had…
Understanding Sex Partner Selection From the Perspective of Inner‐City Black Adolescents
CONTEXT: Black adolescents in inner‐city settings are at increased risk for HIV and other STDs. Sex partner characteristics, as well as individual behavior, influence individuals' STD risk, yet little is known about the process of sex partner selection for adolescents in this setting. METHODS: Semistructured in‐depth interviews were conducted during the summer and fall of 2002 with 50 inner‐city black adolescents (26 females and 24 males) who had…
Environmental–Structural Interventions to Reduce HIV/STI Risk Among Female Sex Workers in the Dominican Republic
Objectives. We assessed the effectiveness of 2 environmental–structural interventions in reducing risks of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among female sex workers in the Dominican Republic. Methods. Two intervention models were implemented over a 1-year period: community solidarity in Santo Domingo and solidarity combined with government policy in Puerto Plata. Both were evaluated via preintervention–postintervention cross-section…
The search for social validation and the sexual behavior of people living with HIV in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Local understanding of an HIV vaccine and its relationship with HIV-related stigma in the Dominican Republic
The purpose of this study was to explore local perceptions and experiences regarding vaccines in general and HIV vaccines and vaccine trials in the Dominican Republic. In-depth interviews were carried out with 25 participants representing two study groups: (1) individuals considered at high risk for HIV infection including female sex workers and male STI clinic attendees and (2) individuals considered at low risk of HIV infection including women …
Knowledge, perceived stigma, and care-seeking experiences for sexually transmitted infections
Information, communication and education regarding early recognition and prompt care-seeking for STIs should be developed, with consideration given to the possibility of tailoring messages tailored to specific sub-groups. To promote prompt treatment-seeking, interventions must also address both STI-specific and other forms of social stigma which may limit access to care. Efforts to further assess and respond to barriers related to the delivery of…
Micro-credit, Women’s Groups, Control of Own Money
Staying Strong
This paper explores adolescents' definitions of what it means to be a man and a woman, the psycho-social context surrounding the formation of gender ideologies and their relationship to HIV/STI prevention. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with fifty African-American adolescents living in Baltimore, Maryland. Female gender ideologies included economic independence, emotional strength and caretaking. Male gender ideologies emphas…
Chaos, co-existence, and the potential for collective action
Perceived influence of an HIV vaccine on sexual‐risk behaviour in the Dominican Republic
This study explored local perceptions regarding the potential influence of an HIV vaccine on sexual-risk behaviours in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Qualitative in-depth interviews were carried out with 25 participants, including 15 women and 10 men. Approximately half of the male study participants stated that they would increase their number of sexual partners and/or would not use condoms if they received an HIV vaccine. In contrast, women…
Gender Ideologies, Socioeconomic Opportunities, and HIV/STI-related Vulnerability among Female, African-American Adolescents
Caribbean pleasure industry
Caribbean pleasure industry: Tourism, sexuality and AIDS in the Dominican Republic, by Mark Padilla, Chicago and London, The University of Chicago Press, 2007, 294 pp., including notes, US$21.00/£1
Understanding High Fertility Desires and Intentions Among a Sample of Urban Women Living with HIV in the United States
Relationships Between Perceived STD‐Related Stigma, STD‐Related Shame and STD Screening Among a Household Sample of Adolescents
Adolescents who view STDs as stigmatizing have a reduced likelihood of being screened, but it is unclear whether this relationship reflects their care seeking or providers' practice of offering STD screening at a routine health visit
Talking the talk, walking the walk
HIV coping self-efficacy
Although prisons have been noted as important venues for HIV testing, few studies have explored the factors within this context that may influence HIV test acceptance. Moreover, there is a dearth of research related to HIV and incarcerated populations in middle and low-income countries, where both the burden of HIV and the number of people incarcerated is higher compared to high-income countries. This study explores the relationship between HIV c…
The politics and history of Aids treatment in Brazil
The politics and history of AIDS treatment in Brazil, by Amy Nunn, New York, Springer, 2009, 186 pp., including notes, US$79.95 (hardcover), ISBN 978-0-387-09617-9 Utilising a rights-based, integra
She's a professional like anyone else’
Community mobilisation among sex workers is recognised as an important HIV/STI prevention strategy. However, factors such as poverty and stigma often negatively influence participation in activities that attempt to mobilise around a common identity of 'sex workers'. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the relationship between social identity and participation among 24 sex workers enrolled in an HIV/STI prevention intervention research pr…
Social-Environmental Factors and Protective Sexual Behavior Among Sex Workers
Objectives. We sought to determine the association of social–environmental factors with condom use and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among 420 sex workers participating in an STI/HIV prevention study in Corumbá, Brazil, to inform future intervention efforts. Methods. Participants provided urine samples for polymerase chain reaction testing of chlamydia and gonorrhea and responded to multi-item scales addressing perceived social cohesion,…
The Role of Structure Versus Individual Agency in Churches’ Responses to HIV/Aids
Discussing Childbearing with HIV-infected Women of Reproductive Age in Clinical Care
Medicine (102 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (82 works) · Sex work and related issues (68 works) · Sociology (65 works) · Family medicine (62 works) · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk (62 works) · Psychology (62 works) · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV (54 works) · Public health (45 works) · Psychiatry (43 works)