FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A BEHAVIORAL GROUP SUPPORT INTERVENTION AMONG TRANSGENDER WOMEN: A SEXUAL AND MENTAL HEALTH MIXED-METHODS PILOT STUDY IN BEIRUT, LEBANON

Transgender women are among the most at risk of populations for HIV infection and transmission globally. Feasible and acceptable intervention strategies that are culturally and contextually appropriate are urgently needed to address the burden of disease worldwide. The first study to address the unique health needs of transgender women in the Middle East and North Africa, this mixed-methods pilot (N = 16) demonstrated high levels of feasibility and acceptability among adult transgender women in Lebanon as measured quantitatively and qualitatively in the domains of: time allotment, venue, group dynamics, facilitation, content, and retention. The intervention, adapted from an existing trans-facilitated group support intervention, addresses the sexual and mental health of transgender women with mixed HIV status. Next steps should include scale-up, randomization, and testing to determine larger-scale feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy for mitigating sexual and mental health risk and promoting community connectedness and social cohesion.