A Pilot Trial of a Sexual Health Counseling Intervention for HIV-Positive Gay and Bisexual Men Who Report Anal Sex without Condoms
BACKGROUND:
Even
in the presence of promising biomedical treatment as prevention, HIV incidence
among men who have sex with men has not always decreased. Counseling
interventions, therefore, continue to play an important role in reducing HIV
sexual transmission behaviors among gay and bisexual men and other men who have
sex with men. The present study evaluated effects of a small-group counseling
intervention on psychosocial outcomes and HIV sexual risk behavior.
METHOD:
HIV-positive
(HIV+) peer counselors administered seven 2-hour counseling sessions to groups
of 5 to 8 HIV+ gay and bisexual men. The intervention employed information
provision, motivational interviewing, and behavioral skills building to reduce
sexual transmission risk behaviors.
RESULTS:
There was
a significant reduction in condomless anal sex (CAS) with HIV-negative and
unknown HIV-status partners, from 50.0% at baseline to 28.9% of the sample at
3-month follow-up. Findings were robust even when controlling for whether the
participant had an undetectable viral load at baseline. Significant reductions
were also found in the two secondary psychosocial outcomes, loneliness and
sexual compulsivity.
CONCLUSIONS:
The
findings provide preliminary evidence that this intervention may offer an
efficient way of concurrently reducing CAS and mental health problems, such as
sexual compulsivity and loneliness, for HIV+ gay and bisexual men.
By: Hart TA1,2, Stratton N1, Coleman TA1, Wilson HA1, Simpson SH3, Julien RE3, Hoe D4, Leahy B4, Maxwell J3, Adam BD5,6.
- 1Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- 2Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- 3AIDS Committee of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- 4Poz Prevention Working Group, Gay Men's Sexual Health Alliance, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- 5Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
- 6Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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