Grant: Project Grant

Trauma can have devastating impacts on health and is common among people living with HIV. In 2009, a screening program for intimate partner violence was implemented at the Southern Alberta Clinic in Calgary, Alberta, to identify and provide support to people in need. Over one-third of people receiving HIV care at the Southern Alberta Clinic have reported experiencing intimate partner violence. People who reported intimate partner violence also experienced increased mental health disorders, substance use, hospitalizations, and death. However, intimate partner violence is not the only type of trauma that people with HIV may experience. We have identified a pressing need to better understand exposure to and experiences of all types of trauma events either past or present, due to the changing population of people with HIV. Recommendations suggest that HIV care providers should regularly screen patients for trauma. However, a trauma-screening program for people with HIV does not exist. This leaves many unknowns including what questions should be asked to ensure all types of trauma are being included and are most acceptable to patients and how to incorporate this program into busy HIV clinic settings. This has resulted in a lack of trauma screening programs in HIV clinics across Canada and globally. We aim to develop a trauma screening program that is guided by people living with HIV and can be used by HIV care programs across Canada. We will use interviews and group discussions to include the voices of people living with HIV, HIV care providers, clinic staff and community partners to inform this trauma screening program. With this program we can start to assess the impact of trauma on the wellbeing of people with HIV and to advocate for much needed supports and resources.