“It's Whack, It's Not Gonna Work”: Feasibility of Sociocentric Network Recruitment for Interventions Among Black, Latine, and Caribbean Priority Populations in New York City

Introduction: Black, Latine, and Caribbean (BLC) sexual and gender minorities (SGM) face structural HIV inequities. Sociocentric interventions may address these barriers, but it is unclear if respondent-driven sampling (RDS) can recruit existing BLC SGM friendship groups or if sociocentric HIV prevention interventions are feasible. Methods: Using an exploratory mixed-methods design (August/2022-January/2024, New York, NY), we recruited participants into a sociocentric RDS group (sRDS) or an individual-level peer referral (PR) group, with qualitative interviews drawn from quantitative participants. Results: We enrolled 29 participants in sRDS (seeds = 6) and 30 in PR; 18 completed qualitative interviews. Most were Black or Caribbean; half were US-born; over half were living with HIV. PR was viewed as feasible, while sRDS and sociocentric interventions were seen as inappropriate. Participants suggested social media and influencers for recruitment. Discussion: Sociocentric approaches may be less acceptable to BLC SGM; recruitment should account for intersectional identities and offer fair compensation.