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. 2025 Jul 30:48:101086.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101086. eCollection 2025 Oct.

Outness predicts greater leukocyte telomere length in sexually minoritized men with HIV who use methamphetamine

Renessa S Williams  1 , Ariana Johnson  2 , Michael Miller-Perusse  3 , Annesa Flentje  4   5 , Judy Moskowitz  6 , Samantha E Dilworth  7 , Keith J Horvath  3   8 , Adam W Carrico  9 , Brad E Aouizerat  10 , Delaram Ghanooni  9
Affiliations

Outness predicts greater leukocyte telomere length in sexually minoritized men with HIV who use methamphetamine

Renessa S Williams et al. Brain Behav Immun Health. .

Abstract

Objective: This longitudinal study aimed to examine the associations of sexual minority stress and outness with leukocyte telomere length across time among sexually minority men (SMM) with HIV who use methamphetamine.

Methods: A sample of 91 SMM with HIV with biologically confirmed recent methamphetamine use completed measures of sexual minority stress and outness at the baseline visit in a randomized controlled trial. Telomere length was measured over 15 months using extracted leukocyte DNA Statistical analyses were performed using bivariate analyses and generalized estimation equations to examine the independent association between baseline outness and leukocyte telomere length, adjusting for chronological age and recent stimulant use.

Results: Greater outness was significantly associated with longer telomere length (estimate = 0.008; CI: 0.001-0.008) after adjusting for chronological age and stimulant use. There was no evidence that stimulant use, intervention assignment, or race/ethnicity moderated the association between outness and greater leukocyte-telomere length. Sexual minority stress was not significantly associated with leukocyte-telomere length.

Conclusion: Findings are among the first to demonstrate that greater outness is associated with slower biological aging in SMM. Further research is needed to elucidate the bio-behavioral mechanisms linking outness and greater leukocyte-telomere length.

Keywords: Aging; HIV; Leukocyte telomere length; Methamphetamine; Outness; Sexual minority stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Renessa Williams reports financial support was provided by National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Annesa Flentje reports financial support was provided by National Institute on Drug Abuse. Annesa Flentje reports financial support was provided by National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Adam Carrico reports was provided by National Institute on Drug Abuse. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The relationship between leukocyte telomere length and outness at baseline, 6-months, 12-months, and 15months. (N = 91). Caption: Outness predicts greater leukocyte telomere length over 15 months.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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