How family relationships affect health for Latino gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men
Official title: Assessment of Latino SMM Family Relationships and Health Outcomes. Latino sexual minority men (LSMM)
Funded at Charles R. Drew University of Med & Sci · NIH-11375953 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how family support and family ties relate to mental health, HIV prevention (like PrEP) use, substance use, and HIV treatment outcomes for Latino gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Charles R. Drew University of Med & Sci NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 28, 2009 |
| Project end | February 28, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $283,282 |
| NIH project number | 5U54MD007598-18 |
| Project ID | NIH-11375953 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are Latino gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men living in the Los Angeles area, whether HIV-negative (for PrEP-related questions) or living with HIV (for treatment outcomes).
✕Less likely to help
People who are not Latino men who have sex with men, or who live far outside the Los Angeles area and cannot join the cohort, are unlikely to be eligible or directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
The team analyzes long-running data from a Los Angeles cohort of men who have sex with men, with detailed surveys and biological tests collected every six months since 2013. They link measures of family emotional support and family ties to depressive symptoms, substance use, condomless sex, PrEP uptake, and viral load over time. This work uses existing psychosocial, behavioral, and lab data from the mSTUDY cohort and applies longitudinal analyses to see how family factors predict later health behaviors and treatment outcomes. Findings will point to upstream family-related entry points for improving HIV prevention and mental health.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could guide new family-focused approaches to increase PrEP use, reduce HIV risk behaviors, and improve viral suppression and mental health among Latino sexual minority men.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research shows PrEP is highly effective at preventing HIV and that social support can help health outcomes, but long-term, family-focused analyses specifically among Latino sexual minority men are relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
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Charles R. Drew University of Med & Sci
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Del Pino, Homero Erwin — Charles R. Drew University of Med & Sci
- Study coordinator: Del Pino, Homero Erwin
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.