Technical Assistance Needs for Successful Implementation of Couples HIV Testing and Counseling (CHTC) Intervention for Male Couples at US HIV Testing Sites

Stephenson, Rob; Grabbe, Kristina L.; Sidibe, Turquoise; McWilliams, Anthony; Sullivan, Patrick S.

doi:10.1007/s10461-015-1150-7

Cited by 37 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For others, one partner may desire services while the other does not. Further, provider-level skill-building and agency-level concerns about service provision and integration may also pose challenges (Stephenson, Grabbe, Sidibe, McWilliams & Sullivan, 2016). In order to maximize their ability to serve gay men in relationships, providers may elect to work with individual partnered men, with a focus on enhancing their emotional capacity to engage in relationships and also on behavioral skills which enhance relationship quality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eriksonian intimacy development, relationship satisfaction, and depression in gay male couples.

Starks¹,

Doyle²,

Millar³

et al. 2017

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Research suggests connections or links between the mental health of both partners in a romantic relationship, as partners often report similar mental health problems, with implications for relationship functioning. The current study utilized the framework of interdependence theory to explore associations among intimacy development, as conceptualized by Erikson, relationship satisfaction, and depression in a sample of 128 same-sex male couples. In each couple, one partner was recruited first through active or passive outreach conducted online and in-person, and after completion of the online survey, was then invited to send his partner a link to the study. The 256 male respondents (mean age = 32.6 years) all reported a U.S. residence and had an average relationship length of five years. Utilizing the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, analyses indicated that participants’ intimacy development directly predicted their own relationship satisfaction (B = 1.84, p< .01) as well as their partner’s relationship satisfaction (B = 1.61, p<.01). Similarly, both the actor (B = -0.04, p< .01) and partner (B = -0.04, p< .05) effects of relationship satisfaction on depression were significant. Consistent with the interdependent concept of joint control, three indirect pathways linked Eriksonian intimacy to depression through relationship satisfaction. These findings suggest that individual development may become linked to mental health through pathways involving dyadic functioning. This pattern implies highly inter-connected links between the intra-personal and inter-personal, which have implications for mental health intervention with gay men in relationships.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eriksonian intimacy development, relationship satisfaction, and depression in gay male couples.

Starks¹,

Doyle²,

Millar³

et al. 2017

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Initial clinical trials indicate the intervention is safe and acceptable (Sullivan et al, 2014). In response, both CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) have issued guidance on implementation (Stephenson, Grabbe, Sidibe, McWilliams, & Sullivan, 2016; WHO, 2012) making it a standard of care for partnered gay men. Given its status, it is particularly useful to understand how discussions of PrEP emerge in the context of this intervention.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Examination of Gay Couples’ Motivations to Use (or Forego) Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Expressed During Couples HIV Testing and Counseling (CHTC) Sessions

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While many gay couples perceive themselves to have little risk for HIV transmission, research estimates that 35-68% of new HIV infections are transmitted within main partnerships. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is recommended for those partnered gay and bisexual men (GBM) who engage in sex outside their primary relationship or who have an HIV-positive partner. There is reason to believe that couples' sero-status and sexual agreement will shape perceptions of PrEP's personal relevance among gay couples. The current study examined motivations for and ambivalence towards PrEP uptake reported in a sample of 67 gay couples during completion of a brief CDC-recommended prevention intervention: Couples HIV Testing and Counseling. Findings suggest that all types of couples identified some circumstances in which they would consider PrEP; however, PrEP messaging should be crafted to avoid undermining current prevention strategies or threatening the trust and legitimacy of the relationship.

show abstract

“…Preliminary data also suggests that male couples receiving CHTC do not report increased levels of intimate partner violence (IPV) or relationship dissolution [21]. CHTC is now considered by the CDC to be an effective public health strategy and is currently being implemented in over 40 US states [17,22]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home-Based HIV Testing and Counseling for Male Couples (Project Nexus): A Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Stephenson¹,

Freeland²,

Sullivan³

et al. 2017

JMIR Res Protoc

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundHIV prevalence remains high among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States, yet the majority of research has focused on MSM as individuals, not as dyads, and has discussed HIV risks primarily in the context of casual sex. Nexus is an online prevention program that combines home-based HIV testing and couples HIV testing and counseling (CHTC). It allows partners in dyadic MSM relationships to receive HIV testing and care in the comfort of their designated residence, via video-based chat. By using video-based technologies (eg, VSee video chat), male couples receive counseling and support from a remote online counselor, while testing for HIV at home.ObjectiveThis randomized control trial (RCT) aims to examine the effects of video-based counseling combined with home-based HIV testing on couples’ management of HIV risk, formation and adherence to explicit sexual agreements, and sexual risk-taking.MethodsThe research implements a prospective RCT of 400 online-recruited male couples: 200 self-reported concordant-negative couples and 200 self-reported discordant couples. Couples in the control arm will receive one or two home-based HIV self-testing kits and will be asked to report their results via the study’s website. Couples in the experimental arm will receive one or two home-based HIV self-testing kits and will conduct these tests together under the facilitation of a remotely located counselor during a prescheduled VSee-based video CHTC session. Study assessments are taken at baseline, as well as at 3- and 6-month follow-up sessions.ResultsProject Nexus was launched in April 2016 and is ongoing. To date, 219 eligible couples have been enrolled and randomized.ConclusionsCombining home-based HIV testing with video-based counseling creates an opportunity to expand CHTC to male couples who (1) live outside metro areas, (2) live in rural areas without access to testing services or LGBTQ resources, or (3) feel that current clinic-based testing is not for them (eg, due to fears of discrimination associated with HIV and/or sexuality).Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02335138; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02335138 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6qHxtNIdW)

show abstract

Technical Assistance Needs for Successful Implementation of Couples HIV Testing and Counseling (CHTC) Intervention for Male Couples at US HIV Testing Sites

Cited by 37 publications

References 16 publications

Eriksonian intimacy development, relationship satisfaction, and depression in gay male couples.

Eriksonian intimacy development, relationship satisfaction, and depression in gay male couples.

An Examination of Gay Couples’ Motivations to Use (or Forego) Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Expressed During Couples HIV Testing and Counseling (CHTC) Sessions

Home-Based HIV Testing and Counseling for Male Couples (Project Nexus): A Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About