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Couple-Based HIV Counseling and Testing: a Risk Reduction Intervention for US Drug-Involved Women and Their Primary Male Partners

Prevention Science volume 16, pages 341–351 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

To help reduce the elevated risk of acquiring HIV for African-American and Latina women drug users in primary heterosexual relationships, we developed a brief couple-based HIV counseling and testing prevention intervention. The intervention was based on an integrated HIV risk behavior theory that incorporated elements of social exchange theory, the theory of gender and power, the stages-of-change model, and the information-motivation-behavior skills model. In this article, we describe the development, content, and format of the couple-based HIV testing and counseling intervention, and its delivery to 110 couples (220 individuals) in a randomized effectiveness trial, the Harlem River Couples Project, conducted in New York City from 2005 to 2007. Components of the couple-based intervention included a personalized dyadic action plan based on the couple’s risk profile and interactive exercises designed to help build interpersonal communication skills, and facilitated discussion of social norms regarding gender roles. The couple-based HIV testing and counseling intervention significantly reduced women’s overall HIV risk compared to a standard-of-care individual HIV testing and counseling intervention. Experiences and perceptions of the intervention were positive among both clients and interventionists. The study was the first to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of delivering a brief couple-based HIV counseling and testing intervention to reduce risk among drug-using heterosexual couples in high HIV prevalent urban communities in the USA. The intervention can be expanded to include new HIV prevention strategies, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis. Further research is needed to evaluate cost-effectiveness and implementation of the intervention in clinical settings.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to Dr. McMahon (R01DA15641) and by the University of Rochester Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) (NIH P30AI078498).

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA

    James M. McMahon & Leilani Torres

  2. National Development and Research Institutes, New York, NY, USA

    Enrique R. Pouget & William Rodriguez

  3. School of Public Health Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Stephanie Tortu

  4. School of Nursing, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Ellen M. Volpe

Authors
  1. James M. McMahon
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  2. Enrique R. Pouget
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  3. Stephanie Tortu
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  4. Ellen M. Volpe
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  5. Leilani Torres
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  6. William Rodriguez
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Correspondence to James M. McMahon.

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McMahon, J.M., Pouget, E.R., Tortu, S. et al. Couple-Based HIV Counseling and Testing: a Risk Reduction Intervention for US Drug-Involved Women and Their Primary Male Partners. Prev Sci 16, 341–351 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-014-0540-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-014-0540-9

Keywords

  • HIV prevention
  • Voluntary HIV testing and counseling
  • Women’s health
  • Substance use