Characterization of HIV Peer Support Based on The Dennis Peer Support Model - Accounts from Transwomen in Ghana, BSHG-018

Abstract Transwomen women in Ghana face significant challenges in accessing HIV prevention and care services due to the immense marginalization and discrimination they encounter from the healthcare system and professionals. Given these challenges, it is imperative to have change agents and advocates in the form of peer educators to support transwomen and ease their difficulties, particularly for those in under-resourced communities, in accessing and utilizing HIV care services. To understand the role of peer educators in facilitating HIV prevention and care services in slum communities in Ghana, we employed purposive and snowball sampling techniques to recruit 20 transwomen for in-depth qualitative interviews in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area. Based on our utilization of the Dennis Peer Support Model, our results revealed that peer educators play significant roles in the lives of transwomen in the defining attribute of providing support. The emotional support for trans women indicated the mere presence of peers and their willingness to listen, show empathy by accompanying trans women to the HIV testing facilities were motivation enough to get tested. The information support attribute showed peers motivated transwomen to improve HIV health outcomes by providing information on antiretroviral therapies and dispelling misconceptions about HIV. Within the appraisal support attribute, peers provided transwomen with information on HIV which heightened their sense of responsibility in HIV prevention and care. This study highlights the crucial role of peer educators in supporting transwomen accessing HIV prevention and care services in urban slums to enhance positive health outcomes, emphasizing that transwomen can live fulfilling lives while living with HIV.