Adaptation and Evaluation of an Intersectional Stigma Reduction Intervention to Increase HIV Care Engagement Among Women Who Use Drugs (Light Inside)

August 4, 2026 updated by: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The goal of this study is to test whether a program reduce stigma will help women living HIV remain in HIV care.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a behavioral intervention designed to reduce intersectional HIV- and drug use-related stigma and improve HIV care engagement among women living with HIV who use drugs in Ukraine. A total of 100 eligible women will be randomized to either the intervention or a control condition. Participants in both groups will receive standard HIV care and a one-time consultation with a social worker, complete baseline, 3-month, and 6-month assessments, and have HIV care outcomes assessed. Participants assigned to the intervention will additionally attend five small-group sessions focused on stigma coping, cognitive-behavioral skills, communication, social support, and HIV care engagement, with an optional individual session involving a support person. The study will examine effects on HIV care engagement, antiretroviral therapy adherence, and stigma-related psychosocial outcomes to inform a future fully powered randomized controlled trial.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
100

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female; Age 18 years or older;
  • Registered in the national Medical Information System (MIS) as having received an HIV-positive diagnosis;
  • Registered in the MIS with injection drug use (IDU) as the probable mode of HIV transmission or with a documented history of injection drug use at any clinical visit.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Does not meet the inclusion criteria;
  • Unable to provide informed consent;
  • Unable to provide informed consent due to intoxication, the effects of drug use, or severe psychiatric impairment at the time of consent.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Standard of Care (Control)
Standard of Care (Control Arm): Participants randomized to the control arm will continue to receive standard HIV and substance use care available through the participant's usual healthcare providers. In addition, participants will receive a one-time consultation with a social worker (in person or remotely) and complete study assessments at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. No stigma-reduction intervention sessions will be provided.
Behavioral: standard of care
Standard of Care: Participants will continue to receive standard HIV and substance use care available through their usual healthcare providers. In addition, they will receive a one-time consultation with a social worker, delivered either in person or remotely, to provide support and linkage to available services.
Experimental: Intervention Arm
Experimental Intervention Arm: Participants randomized to the intervention arm will continue to receive standard HIV and substance use care, a one-time consultation with a social worker, and complete study assessments at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. In addition, they will participate in five in-person, small-group sessions delivered over approximately 2-3 weeks that focus on reducing HIV- and drug use-related stigma through cognitive-behavioral coping skills, communication and social support strategies, and HIV care engagement. Participants may also complete an optional individual session with a psychologist facilitator and a support person.
Behavioral: Light Inside
Adapted intersectional stigma reduction intervention consisting of five facilitator-led, small-group sessions delivered over approximately 2-3 weeks. The intervention uses cognitive-behavioral strategies to reduce HIV- and drug use-related stigma by strengthening adaptive coping, cognitive restructuring, communication skills, social support, and HIV care self-efficacy to improve HIV care engagement and antiretroviral therapy adherence. Participants may also complete an optional individual session with a psychologist facilitator and a support person.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
HIV care engagement as assessed by the Number of participants who re-engage in HIV care
Time Frame: 6 months
Number of participants who re-engage in HIV care, defined as attending at least one HIV clinical care visit within 6 months after study enrollment, as documented in the Medical Information System (MIS).
6 months
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence as assessed by the percentage of days covered by dispensed antiretroviral medication
Time Frame: 6 months
ART adherence, measured as the percentage of days covered by dispensed antiretroviral medication during the 6 months after study enrollment, based on Medical Information System pharmacy records.
6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Fogarty International Center of the National Institute of Health

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Jill Owczarzak, PhD, Johns Hopkins University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 4, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 7, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IRB00029819
  • 5R01TW012908 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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