Dr Anthony Gifford
LightNews LightNews
giff95.bsky.social
Dr Anthony Gifford
@giff95.bsky.social
81 followers 97 following 13 posts
I like dancing, running, research, and men.

(He/Him) 🏳️‍🌈
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
oscarcoussins.bsky.social
🌈 LGBTQ+ research - I would love to hear from you!
I am conducting research exploring how activism, identity pride, and community connectedness influence LGBTQ+ experiences
Requirements to participate: 18+, identify as LGBTQ+, live in the UK
Thank you!
Survey link:
research.sc/participant/...
January 23, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
drdeclankavanagh.bsky.social
#ukhighered
I ASKED SANTA FOR A RESEARCH GRANT. YOU STILL BELIEVE IN RESEARCH GRANTS?
December 16, 2025 at 9:09 PM
giff95.bsky.social
PhDone ✅ 🥳

Thank you @daraghmcdermott.bsky.social, Dr Beth Jones & Prof. Rusi Jaspal for all your support!

Shout to Professor Adam Bourne (La Trobe University, Melbourne) and Dr Blerina Kellezi (NTU Psychology) for making the viva so enjoyable!

@ntupsychology.bsky.social
Left to right: Prof. Daragh McDermott, Dr Anthony Gifford, Dr Beth Jones Anthony is holding his thesis after just passing his viva.
December 3, 2025 at 8:29 AM
giff95.bsky.social
Humble brag time - proofs for PhD paper number five (!!) are officially submitted, which means the only thing between me and finishing this PhD is the viva. Wild to think I once hoped for three papers, but caffeine, stress, and top-tier supervision said otherwise. Viva, I’m coming for you.
November 21, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
annayahprosser.bsky.social
Interested in the social impact of video games? Want to understand how games can make our world better? Attend this webinar at @uniofbathsom.bsky.social on 13/11! Special guests include experts @drkowert.bsky.social & @kathrynbfrancis.bsky.social! Pls share www.bath.ac.uk/events/explo... #videogames
Exploring the Social Impact of Games – ‘The Psychgeist of Popular Culture: The Legend of Zelda’
Join us for this book launch webinar looking at the positive impact of video games.
www.bath.ac.uk
October 31, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
thevideogamelibrary.org
The latest #Psychgeist entry has arrived!

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA 🗡️

I’m SO excited to read it this weekend ♥️

Thank you @annayahprosser.bsky.social @drkowert.bsky.social 🙏
A book called the Psychgeist of pop culture, the legend of Zelda sitting on top five other books in the same series. The background is a mountain landscape.
October 24, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
adamadzp.bsky.social
anyone found this week extra exhausting? autumn daylight hours slapping me hard
October 17, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
annayahprosser.bsky.social
🛡️ It's dangerous to go alone, take this! ⚔️
Since 2023, I've been working on a collection that explores what the Legend of Zelda video games can teach us about psychology, social science and our environment. Our collection is available open-access here: playstorypress.org/books/the-ps... #videogames
A book cover. Mountains in the background, a rocky outcrop in the foreground with a broadsword sticking out of the rock in the centre. The title reads "The Psychgeist of Pop Culture: The Legend of Zelda, Edited by Annayah M.B. Prosser, PhD.
October 13, 2025 at 10:18 AM
giff95.bsky.social
Never dreamt that I would be able to combine two of my favourite things: The Legend of Zelda and LGBTQ+ Psychology ⚔️ 🏳️‍🌈 🧠 🎮

Thank you to @annayahprosser.bsky.social and @drkowert.bsky.social for this opportunity!

Read my chapter “Smash the pot, break the binary”: works.hcommons.org/records/z0qv...
The Psychgeist of Pop Culture - Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda series captivates millions of players worldwide. We have followed Link, Zelda and Ganon through many quests, timelines and consoles. What can playing the Legend of Zelda games teac...
works.hcommons.org
October 12, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
jgarciaiglesias.bsky.social
Amazing review on @nagingtonuom.bsky.social’s The Moral Lessons of Chemsex boom in the LA REVIEW OF BOOKS! @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

lareviewofbooks.org/article/crui...
Cruising as Moral Practice | Los Angeles Review of Books
Jordan Osserman reads two recent queer theory books exploring the form and chemistry of sex.
lareviewofbooks.org
September 8, 2025 at 5:04 PM
giff95.bsky.social
What’s better than submitting your thesis? Getting your absolute icon to sign said thesis (and read my acknowledgment to her as well ofc 😌)
Anthony is stood next to actress Rosamund Pike with his thesis in hand after she had just signed it.
August 29, 2025 at 9:39 AM
giff95.bsky.social
PhD paper #4 published today, in a special issue for studies examining healthcare for Sexual Minority populations. (Just in time for thesis submission 😱)

Key findings show the promise for using gain-framed, narrative messaging to improve PrEP self efficacy.

@ntupsychology.bsky.social
Abstract from my latest paper: Abstract Background: Despite the clinical efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in preventing HIV, uptake remains suboptimal among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United Kingdom (UK). Sustaining progress in the PrEP cascade requires more than biomedical availability; it demands effective, psychologically informed interventions that address persistent barriers. Psychological factors, such as medical mistrust, low PrEP self-efficacy, and identity-related processes, continue to undermine engagement. This study tested whether narrative persuasion and message framing could influence these barriers. Method: A sample of 253 MSM was recruited to participate in an online experiment and completed baseline measures of identity resilience before being randomly allocated to either the gain-framed (N = 122) or loss-framed (N = 124) narrative condition and then completing post-manipulation measures of medical mistrust and PrEP self-efficacy. After excluding 7 cases due to ineligibility, data from 246 participants were analysed using mediation analysis. Results: Participants in the gain-framed condition reported lower medical mistrust than those in the loss-framed condition. Medical mistrust was, in turn, associated with lower PrEP self-efficacy. Identity resilience was associated with lower medical mistrust and higher PrEP self-efficacy. Discussion: These findings provide novel causal evidence that gain-framed health narratives can reduce mistrust and indirectly enhance PrEP self-efficacy. Identity resilience also emerges as a key psychological factor influencing trust and behavioural confidence. Conclusions: Interventions to improve and sustain PrEP uptake should combine gain-framed, narrative-based messaging with strategies to bolster identity resilience. Such approaches may address psychosocial barriers more effectively and promote equitable PrEP uptake among MSM.
August 12, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
benvyle.bsky.social
the condom doctrine is so powerful (and moralising) that some sexual health services will literally communicate things like: "remember, HIV PrEP, doxyPEP, and routine vaccinations for hepatitis A and B, mpox, gonorrhoea, and more are no replacement for a condom!!!!"
July 17, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
roxanegay.bsky.social
I will take AI seriously when my smart speaker understands the phrase “original broadway cast recording.”
June 19, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
lizhighleyman.bsky.social
The FDA approved twice-yearly lenacapavir (Yeztugo) for PrEP, making it the longest-acting HIV prevention method. Advocates lauded the eagerly awaited approval but expressed concern that the $28,000 annual price tag could limit access as HIV prevention funding is being slashed in the US & worldwide.
FDA Approves Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention
More than 99% of people who received Yeztugo in two large clinical trials remained HIV negative.
www.poz.com
June 19, 2025 at 1:07 AM
giff95.bsky.social
PhD Paper #3 published in the Psychology of Sexual and Gender Diversity special issue in Behavioural Science.

A latent profile analysis of PrEP usage among MSM in the U.K.

Endless thanks to Rusi Jaspal, Beth Jones and @daraghmcdermott.bsky.social

@ntupsychology.bsky.social
Title and abstract of a recently published paper. Psychosocial Profiles of Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) Influencing PrEP Acceptability: A Latent Profile Analysis Despite the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the United Kingdom (UK), uptake among men who have sex with men (MSM) remains inconsistent, signalling a persistent ‘PrEP Gap’. Empirical studies show the important role of psychosocial factors (e.g., stigma, identity, trust in science, and sexual behaviours) in PrEP acceptability and uptake. This study aimed to identify subgroups of MSM in the UK based on psychosocial predictors of PrEP acceptability. A cross-sectional survey of MSM (N = 500) was conducted between June and September 2023. Participants completed validated measures assessing identity resilience, internalised homonegativity, LGBTQ+ connectedness, trust in science, NHS perceptions, HIV stigma, PrEP self-efficacy, condom self-efficacy, sociosexual orientation, perceived HIV risk, and PrEP acceptability. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to identify distinct subgroups based on these psychosocial dimensions. Four psychosocial profiles were defined: (1) PrEP Ambivalent (15%); (2) PrEP Accepting (36.2%); (3) PrEP Hesitant (37%); and (4) PrEP Rejecting (11.8%). These profiles provide evidence for varied combinations of personal and structural factors influencing PrEP acceptability. PrEP acceptability among MSM in the UK is shaped by distinct psychosocial configurations, influenced by identity, stigma, trust, and perceived risk. These findings highlight the need for differentiated and targeted interventions for enhancing PrEP acceptability based on psychosocial profile. Audience segmentation strategies offer a promising pathway to bridge the awareness-to-engagement gap and address the nuanced barriers facing diverse subgroups within the MSM community. Keywords: LPA; PrEP; MSM; UK; acceptability; uptake
June 14, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
benvyle.bsky.social
bravi to the authors of the 2025 BASHH/BHIVA UK PrEP guidelines for recognising that excessive reliance on RCT data necessarily reproduces inequalities for groups already marginalised or minoritised within healthcare. (see: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....) /1
June 11, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
thelovetankcic.bsky.social
New UK guidelines for prescribing doxyPEP for syphilis prevention launched today by @bashhuk.bsky.social

The Love Tank played a key role in community engagement for the guidelines, with @benvyle.bsky.social and @idiosyncraticxl.bsky.social on the writing group.

www.thelovetank.info/news/doxysyph
DoxyPEP for syphilis prevention – new UK guidelines launched — The Love Tank CIC
New guidelines issued today by the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) provides an evidence-based framework for the prescription of doxy PEP to prevent syphilis.
www.thelovetank.info
June 9, 2025 at 8:33 AM
giff95.bsky.social
A good thesis is a done thesis, or so I tell myself! First draft (of many more, I’m sure) ✅
A picture of the first page of my doctoral thesis and a bottle of Bollinger champagne to celebrate
May 23, 2025 at 5:46 PM
giff95.bsky.social
Not me. Actually enjoying writing a methods chapter. Couldn’t possibly.
May 7, 2025 at 1:49 PM
giff95.bsky.social
So grateful for the opportunity to work on this paper and help present some really interesting findings 😁
April 22, 2025 at 8:18 AM
giff95.bsky.social
Or why can’t we stop normalising “publish and flourish” as the ECR ideal? 🤷‍♂️ It’s exclusionary, uneven across disciplines, and replicates a system many current academics didn’t face. Let’s build research cultures that value care, curiosity, and equity. Critique shouldn’t lead to compliance.
April 11, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
liamwignall.bsky.social
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS! Psychology & Sexuality is putting together a special issue on Sexual Subcultures. You can read the call below. Deadline for abstracts is 2nd June.

think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...
Contemporary Sexual Subcultures: Meanings, Identities, Narratives, and Trends
think.taylorandfrancis.com
April 10, 2025 at 1:33 PM
giff95.bsky.social
Thrilled to share our new HIV Anxiety Scale.

This was a true collaborative effort, and I’m so thankful to have worked with the amazing @drliamcahill.bsky.social @daraghmcdermott.bsky.social and Dr Beth Jones to bring this from idea to reality.

doi.org/10.1007/s104...

@ntupsychology.bsky.social
Abstract for the HIV anxiety scale
April 5, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Reposted by Dr Anthony Gifford
ntupsychology.bsky.social
🌈 Celebrating #TransDayOfVisibility! Dr. Beth Jones and team explore how beliefs about gender shape attitudes toward TGD people. Let's foster inclusivity and amplify voices! ✨📄 Read more: psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?d...
APA PsycNet
psycnet.apa.org
March 31, 2025 at 4:28 PM