title: Couples-Focused Prevention Program to Reduce HIV Risk Among Transgender Women and Their Primary Male Partners: Feasibility and Promise of the Couples HIV Intervention Program.
abstract: HIV risk among transgender women has been attributed to condomless sex with primary male partners. This study pilot tested a couples-focused HIV intervention program for transgender women and their primary male partners. We analyzed data from 56 transgender women and their male partners (n = 112 participants) who were randomized as a couple to one of two groups. Participants in the intervention group (27 couples) received 3 counseling sessions: 2 couples-focused sessions, which discussed relationship dynamics, communication, and HIV risk, and 1 individual-focused session on HIV prevention concerns. Participants in the control group (29 couples) received 1 session on general HIV prevention information delivered to both partners together. At 3-month follow-up, participants in the intervention reported lower odds of condomless sex with primary partners (OR 0.5, 95 % CI 0.3-1.0), reduced odds of engaging in sex with a casual partner (OR 0.3, 95 % CI 0.1-1.0), and reduction in the number of casual partners (B = -1.45, SE = 0.4) compared with the control group. Findings provide support for the feasibility and promise of a couples-focused HIV prevention intervention for transgender women and their primary male partners.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Brown University, 121 South Main St., 3rd Floor, Providence, RI, 02906, USA. Don_Operario@brown.edu.
authors.forename: Don
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2467-5048
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Operario
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Kristi E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Gamarel
authors.affiliation: Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwamoto
authors.affiliation: Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Sachico
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suico
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Lynae
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Darbes
authors.affiliation: Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Tooru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nemoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D019546:Couples Therapy; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012747:Sexual Partners; D063106:Transgender Persons
keywords: Couples; Intervention; Prevention; Relationships; Transgender