Brandelli Costa, Angelo

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Professor Brandelli Costa is a specialist in Social and Health Psychology. He holds a Bachelor's in Psychology, a Master's in Social and Institutional Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, with a postdoctoral internship at PPGPSICO/UFRGS. Currently he also is an associate researcher at the Gender Identity Program at the Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA). Professor Brandelli Costa already worked as a consultant for UNAIDS in the coordination of the Stigma Index Brazil research, for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO-WHO). He is editor-in-chief of Trends in Psychology, associate editor of PLOS ONE, and a member of the editorial board of the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Psychology & Sexuality, and Interamerican Journal of Psychology. He is a fellow of the International Academy of Sex Research (IASR). He acts as coordinator of projects financed by several Brazilian agencies and has already received several national and international recognition for his work, being the first Latin American researcher to receive the Rising Star from the Association of Psychological Science (APS), in addition to being one of the 30 leaders of the APA Global Psychology Learning Leadership Institute. He develops research in the areas of social and health psychology, with an emphasis on prejudice and social attitudes, sexuality, gender and HIV/AIDS.

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2024 - 20254
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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Psychosocial factors influencing treatment adherence in Brazilian gay men living with HIV
    (2024) Alckmin-Carvalho, Felipe; Brandelli Costa, Angelo; Giusti, Bárbara; Nichiata, Lucia Yasuko Izumi
    Context and Aim: Adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV poses a public health challenge. Although studies in developed countries emphasize the role of psychosocial factors in ART adherence, there is limited research on this association among Brazilian MSM living with HIV. This study examined the impact of depression, anxiety, internalized homonegativity, and HIV-related stigma on ART adherence in a sample of this population. Method: A cross-sectional study recruited 43 MSM living with HIV (Mage = 34.93, SD = 7.90) through social media. Instruments included sociodemographic and clinical questionnaires, the Questionnaire for Assessment of Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment, the Beck Depression Scale, the Trait-State Anxiety Inventory, the Internalized Homophobia Scale, and the HIV Stigmatization Scale. Results: Twelve participants (27.9%) showed inadequate ART adherence, and 18 (41.8%) reported signs and symptoms of depression at clinical level. Depression was negatively and moderately correlated with ART adherence. HIV-related stigma was positively and moderately correlated with depression, trait anxiety, and homonegativity. Depression significantly impacted ART adherence, explaining 13.4% of the variance. Conclusions: Our results highlight the need for regular depression screening and affirmative interventions to support MSM living with HIV, addressing stigma, and promoting adherence to ART.
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    Application of the transgender male voice questionnaire in a Brazilian population sample
    (2024) Schwarz, Karine; Villas-Boas, Anna Paula; Cielo, Carla Aparecida; da Silva, Dhiordan Carodoso; da Silva, Eliane Dias; Fighera, Tayane Muniz; Brandelli Costa, Angelo; Lobato, Maria Ines Rodrigues; Spritzer, Poli Mara
    Objectives: The aim of this study was to adapt and apply the Portuguese versionof the Transgender Man Voice Questionnaire in a sample of Brazilian transgendermen and to investigate the relationship between voice satisfaction and hormonetherapy duration. In addition, we suggest reducing and reformulating thequestionnaire for screening. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 31 transgender men aged 18–50 years undergoing hormone therapy who answered a questionnaire adaptedfrom the Transgender Woman Voice Questionnaire, validated in Portuguese.Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from the individuals’electronic medical records: age, smoking status, and type and duration ofhormone therapy. The questionnaire, consisting of 30 questions rated on aLikert scale, was answered individually during a psychotherapy session. In eachquestion, the gender-specific words were modified. Furthermore, we added aquestion: 31 (After GAHT, my voice became completely male), with the responseoptions yes or no. In questions 32 and 33, asking participants to provide anoverall rating of their voice. Total score ranged from 0 to 120, with higher scoresindicating greater dissatisfaction with voice. Results: Mean patient age was 30.13 ± 7.6 years, and 19.4% were smokers. Themean duration of hormone therapy was 29.7 ± 24.9 months, and 95% receivedintramuscular testosterone cypionate, maintaining serum testosterone levelswithin the male reference range. The questionnaire mean total score was 51 ± 17.72.There was a significant negative correlation between the questionnaire total scoreand duration of hormone therapy (r = −0.484, p = 0.006). The questionnaire hada high level of internal consistency/reliability, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficientof 0.95 for all items and a split-half Spearman-Brown coefficient of 0.96. For theelaboration of a screening tool, it is suggested to remove questions 8, 10, 12, 13,14, 17, 19, 23, 27, and 29 and modify question 1. Conclusion: Longer hormone therapy favors voice deepening and satisfactionwith voice. The psychometric properties of the Transgender Man VoiceQuestionnaire are reliable, supporting its use as a screening tool in clinicalpractice and as an adjunct to the planning of vocal and communication supportfor transgender individuals.
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    The Impact of Race, Education, Economic Vulnerability, and Stigma on Viral Load Detectability Among People Living with HIV in Brazil.
    (2025) Brandelli Costa, Angelo; Graeff Bins-Ely, Isadora; Penzato, Valentina; Vaitses Fontanari, Anna Martha; Alckmin-Carvalho, Felipe; Pereira, Henrique; Welter Wendt, Guilherme
    Background: Understanding barriers to viral undetectability is crucial for developing targeted interventions for populations struggling with treatment adherence. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of race, education, economic vulnerability and HIV-related stigma on viral load detectability among people living with HIV (PLWHA) in Brazil. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, community-based study. The sample consisted of 1767 participants. We used the Brazilian version of the HIV Stigma Index 2.0 questionnaire, the Internalized AIDS-Related Stigma Scale, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Viral load was self-reported. Data were collected by 30 PLHV themselves in 2019, after receiving training on the Brazilian Stigma Index. Data was analyzed with both descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS. Results: Our generalized linear model showed that participants who were non-white, with low education and of lower economic status had a lower likelihood of reporting undetectable viral load (UVL) compared compared to their respective counterparts (white participants, those with higher education, and those of higher economic status). Key population group membership was not significantly associated with UVL. Higher internalized stigma was negatively associated with lower UVL. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the impact of racial, educational and economic disparities and internalized stigma on HIV outcomes and underscore the need for tailored interventions that address the specific challenges faced by different racial/ethnic and more vulnerable groups. These findings challenge the dominant treatment-as-prevention framework that focuses primarily on key populations, suggesting the need to broaden our focus to include other vulnerable populations, such as non-whites and those experiencing economic hardship. Such approach is critical to avoid overlooking situations where community viral load remains high.
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    Exploring the influence of age, gender, stigma, and years living with HIV on mental health outcomes.
    (2025) Welter Wendt, Guilherme; Wiehe Chaves, Lara; Brandelli Costa, Angelo
    Background People living with HIV/AIDS face a myriad of discrimination and social stigma experiences. As a result of progress observed throughout the HIV epidemic, an ageing population of people living with HIV/AIDS exists, potentially facing greater mental health challenges from combined chronic conditions and stigma. Hence, this research aims to determine the additional value of age, years living with HIV, and gender, in conjunction with overall and internalized stigma in predicting clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety. Methods The sample consists of 1666 people living with HIV PLHA, aged between 18 and 76 years who participated in a community-based study across Brazil. Participants provided responses on HIV-related stigma, Internalized AIDS-Related Stigma, and to the Patient Health Questionnaire, which demonstrated excellent psychometric proprieties. Results Gender and stigma increased the likelihood of significant symptoms of anxiety, accounting for the influence of age and years of living with HIV. Odds were higher among those who reported transgender identity (ORa = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.13, 3.70). Also, women reported significantly higher chances for anxiety (ORa = 1.36; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.76). Both HIV-related (ORa = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.08) and internalized stigma (ORa = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.40) were associated with anxiety. General and internalized stigma were the unique predictors for depression, with adjusted OR ranging from 1.07 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.10) to 1.41 (95% CI: 1.31, 1.53), respectively. Conclusions Stigma constitutes a significant obstacle for initiatives aimed at HIV prevention and therapeutic programmes, and the main findings of this study revealed that factors associated with clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety were predominantly allied with psychosocial stressors and gender identity indicators. Limitations, implications for practice and policy are addressed.