Partner Navigation for Hepatitis C and Substance Use Disorder

This study builds upon an ongoing NIH-funded randomized controlled trial (R01DA053325) evaluating a Partner Navigation Intervention to increase hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment initiation among young adult people who inject drugs (PWID) and their injecting partners in San Francisco. The proposed research includes secondary analyses of existing trial data, additional survey measures, qualitative interviews, and a pilot intervention adaptation.

The study has two primary objectives. First, it examines how racialized discrimination (structural, interpersonal, and internalized) affects HCV treatment initiation and dyadic partner support processes within injecting partnerships. Second, it evaluates whether a brief, adapted "booster" partner navigation session delivered at HCV treatment completion can improve engagement in ongoing healthcare.

Participants include adults (≥18 years) who inject drugs and have been diagnosed with HCV, along with their primary injecting partners. Study activities include longitudinal surveys, qualitative interviews with a subset of participants, and a pilot intervention session with follow-up evaluation.

This research addresses critical gaps in understanding how social relationships and structural inequities influence healthcare engagement among PWID. Findings will inform culturally responsive adaptations to dyadic interventions and improve continuity of care in a population disproportionately affected by HCV and systemic barriers to healthcare.