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The Role of the Primary Romantic Relationship in HIV Care Engagement Outcomes Among Young HIV-Positive Black Men Who Have Sex with Men

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Abstract

The primary romantic relationship plays a fundamental role in health maintenance, but little is known about its role in HIV care engagement among young Black men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV. We examined how HIV care engagement outcomes (i.e., having a primary healthcare provider, receiving HIV treatment, taking antiretroviral medication, and medication adherence) vary by partnership status (single vs. concordant-positive vs. discordant) in a sample of young Black MSM living with HIV. Results showed mixed findings. Partnership status was significantly associated with HIV care engagement, even after adjusting for individual, social, and structural factors. While partnered men were consistently more likely than their single counterparts to have a regular healthcare provider, to receive recent treatment, and to have ever taken antiretroviral medication, they were less likely to report currently receiving antiretroviral therapy. Moreover, men with a discordant partner reported better adherence compared to men with a concordant or no partner. The association between partnership status and HIV care engagement outcomes was not consistent across the stages of the HIV Care Continuum, highlighting the complexity in how and why young Black men living with HIV engage in HIV healthcare. Given the social context of HIV disease management, more research is needed to explicate underlying mechanisms involved in HIV care and treatment that differ by relational factors for young Black MSM living with HIV.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge the subcontractors in Dallas and Houston who collected the data, Catherine Troisi, Ph.D. and Paige Wermuth from the University of Texas, Houston and Anne Freeman, MA, Douglas Sheehan, MA, Doug Kershaw, and Stephen Brown, MA from the University of Texas Southwestern. This research was funded by grants from the CDC (5UR6PS000334) and the National Institute for Mental Health (R01MH096690). Dr. Tan was supported by a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01MH106416).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Prevention Science, Department of Medicine, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor, 0886, San Francisco, CA, 94158-2549, USA

    Judy Y. Tan, Lance Pollack, Greg Rebchook & Susan Kegeles

  2. Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    John Peterson

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    David Huebner

  4. Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Agatha Eke & Wayne Johnson

Authors
  1. Judy Y. Tan
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  2. Lance Pollack
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  3. Greg Rebchook
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  4. John Peterson
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  5. David Huebner
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  6. Agatha Eke
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  7. Wayne Johnson
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  8. Susan Kegeles
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Correspondence to Judy Y. Tan.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Tan, J.Y., Pollack, L., Rebchook, G. et al. The Role of the Primary Romantic Relationship in HIV Care Engagement Outcomes Among Young HIV-Positive Black Men Who Have Sex with Men. AIDS Behav 22, 774–790 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1601-9

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