This study will test the effectiveness of an eight-session structured intervention to reduce distress and HIV sexual risk behavior among male couples of mixed HIV serostatus. Gay men constitute the majority of AIDS cases in the U.S. Between 30 and 40% of gay men are in primary committed relationships, and an ever increasing number of HIV-positive men live in HIV-serodiscordant couple relationships. However, primary and secondary prevention studies have for the most part, targeted gay men as individuals and have not adequately addressed the way that couple functioning may be impaired by psychological distress due to the burdens of HIV disease, sexual risk behavior, maintenance of consistent safer sex practices,and the potential for the negative partner to become infected. Thus, an intervention that focuses on psychological distress of serodiscordant couples by targeting the male couple as the unit of intervention is the focus of this study. The proposed randomized trial will test the efficacy of intervening with both members of the couple in a group setting, using pre- and post-intervention assessments as well as 3 and 6 month follow-up assessments. The treatment group will be compared to a wait-list control group, which will also receive the intervention following the 3-month follow-up assessment. Integrating findings from the investigators' current cross-sectional descriptive study and established theoretical models on sexual risk behavior change, couple distress and satisfaction, and family systems in chronic illness, this intervention aims to reduce psychological distress by teaching skills to help the partners meet the unique challenges that they face as a couple of mixed serostatus. In recognition of the importance of dissemination and rapid transfer of interventions to the community at large, this study was designed and will be conducted in collaboration with Body Positive, a community-based organization that has provided services to thousands of HIV-positive people in New York City. It is hoped that this structured intervention will be cost-efficient and easily transferrable to other community-based settings.
| Dolezal, Curtis; Remien, Robert H; Wagner, Glenn J et al. (2005) Alcohol, marijuana, cocaine use, and relationship quality among HIV serodiscordant male couples. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 31:593-600 |
