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Development of a Novel Scale to Measure Male Partner Involvement in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV in Kenya

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Abstract

Male partner involvement is an important factor in prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). Yet, poor conceptualization has hindered optimal assessment of male involvement. We created and evaluated a brief 10-item male partner involvement scale using principal components analysis and scree plots, Cronbach’s alpha, and linear regression with survey data from postpartum women with HIV (n = 200) in Kenya. The scale had a two-factor structure: male encouragement/reminders and active participation. The overall scale and the encouragement/reminders sub-scale displayed strong internal reliability. In the multivariable models, the scales were positively associated with constructive relationship dynamics, HIV status disclosure, and couple HIV testing and counseling, and negatively associated with internalized HIV stigma. The encouragements/reminders sub-scale was also negatively associated with a new HIV diagnosis during pregnancy. This work furthers the conceptualization of male partner involvement in PMTCT and provides a valid measure to assess male involvement as a pathway to better PMTCT outcomes.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health under Grant K99MH116735; the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under Grant R01HD080477; and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease-funded Colorado HIV Research Training Program under Grant 4T32AI007447. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Karen Hampanda

  2. Center for Global Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Karen Hampanda & Lisa Abuogi

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Lisa Abuogi

  4. School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA

    Pamela Musoke, Anna Helova & Janet Turan

  5. Center for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya

    Maricianah Onono & Elizabeth Bukusi

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  1. Karen Hampanda
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  2. Lisa Abuogi
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  3. Pamela Musoke
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  4. Maricianah Onono
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  5. Anna Helova
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  7. Janet Turan
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Correspondence to Karen Hampanda.

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Ethical Approval

All procedures performed involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committees and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Relevant institutional review boards at the University of Colorado Denver, University of Alabama Birmingham, and Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) provided ethical approval for the study. Individual consent was obtained by trained Kenyan research assistants who conducted an informed consent process, including a signed consent (or thumbprint) form and an information sheet read aloud in the participant’s preferred language.

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Hampanda, K., Abuogi, L., Musoke, P. et al. Development of a Novel Scale to Measure Male Partner Involvement in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV in Kenya. AIDS Behav 24, 291–303 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-019-02546-0

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