The study’s original aim was to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected mental
health, substance use and intimate partner violence among gay men who take
pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention in Ukraine.
We identified a high rate of depression and anxiety symptoms as well as increase of
substance use behavior and intimate partner violence. We anticipate a continuing
increase of these trends, and an acute need to address those, in the near future as a
result of the war of Russia against Ukraine.
This Policy Brief aims to identify key policy implications and suggest recommendations
for Ukrainian authorities, international donors and organizations, and Ukrainian
non-governmental organizations (NGO) in order to strengthen existing and establish
new services to address the health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) people in Ukraine.