The influence of internalized stigma on the efficacy of an HIV prevention and relationship education program for young male couples

Brian A. Feinstein; Emily Bettin; Gregory Swann; Kathryn Macapagal; Sarah W. Whitton; Michael E. Newcomb

doi:10.1007/s10461-018-2093-6

The influence of internalized stigma on the efficacy of an HIV prevention and relationship education program for young male couples

Brian A. Feinstein^*, Emily Bettin, Gregory Swann, Kathryn Macapagal, Sarah W. Whitton, Michael E. Newcomb

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Young MSM are at increased risk for HIV, especially in the context of serious relationships, but there is a lack of couplesbased HIV prevention for this population. The 2GETHER intervention-an HIV prevention and relationship education program for young male couples-demonstrated promising effects in a pilot trial. However, there is evidence that internalized stigma (IS) can influence treatment outcomes among MSM. The current study examined the influence of IS on the efficacy of the 2GETHER intervention among 57 young male couples. The intervention led to decreases in percentage of condomless anal sex partners and increases in subjective norms regarding HIV prevention for those with low/average IS, but not high IS. The intervention also led to increases in motivation to get tested with one’s partner and decreases in alcohol consumption for those with high IS, but not low/average IS. In contrast, IS did not moderate intervention effects on other motivational constructs, dyadic adjustment, or alcohol problems. In sum, IS influences the extent to which young male couples benefit from HIV prevention and relationship education depending on the outcome. Research is needed to understand how IS influences treatment outcomes.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	3847-3858
Number of pages	12
Journal	AIDS and behavior
Volume	22
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2093-6
State	Published - Jan 1 2018

Funding

Funding This study was funded by a grant from the Sexualities Project at Northwestern (PI: Newcomb). Brian Feinstein was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (F32DA042708; PI: Feinstein). Michael Newcomb was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DP2DA042417; PI: Newcomb). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies.

Keywords

HIV prevention
Internalized stigma
Relationship education
Same-sex couples
Young men who have sex with men

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Infectious Diseases

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1007/s10461-018-2093-6

Cite this

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title = "The influence of internalized stigma on the efficacy of an HIV prevention and relationship education program for young male couples",

abstract = "Young MSM are at increased risk for HIV, especially in the context of serious relationships, but there is a lack of couplesbased HIV prevention for this population. The 2GETHER intervention-an HIV prevention and relationship education program for young male couples-demonstrated promising effects in a pilot trial. However, there is evidence that internalized stigma (IS) can influence treatment outcomes among MSM. The current study examined the influence of IS on the efficacy of the 2GETHER intervention among 57 young male couples. The intervention led to decreases in percentage of condomless anal sex partners and increases in subjective norms regarding HIV prevention for those with low/average IS, but not high IS. The intervention also led to increases in motivation to get tested with one{\textquoteright}s partner and decreases in alcohol consumption for those with high IS, but not low/average IS. In contrast, IS did not moderate intervention effects on other motivational constructs, dyadic adjustment, or alcohol problems. In sum, IS influences the extent to which young male couples benefit from HIV prevention and relationship education depending on the outcome. Research is needed to understand how IS influences treatment outcomes.",

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note = "Funding Information: Funding This study was funded by a grant from the Sexualities Project at Northwestern (PI: Newcomb). Brian Feinstein was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (F32DA042708; PI: Feinstein). Michael Newcomb was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DP2DA042417; PI: Newcomb). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018.",

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AU - Whitton, Sarah W.

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N2 - Young MSM are at increased risk for HIV, especially in the context of serious relationships, but there is a lack of couplesbased HIV prevention for this population. The 2GETHER intervention-an HIV prevention and relationship education program for young male couples-demonstrated promising effects in a pilot trial. However, there is evidence that internalized stigma (IS) can influence treatment outcomes among MSM. The current study examined the influence of IS on the efficacy of the 2GETHER intervention among 57 young male couples. The intervention led to decreases in percentage of condomless anal sex partners and increases in subjective norms regarding HIV prevention for those with low/average IS, but not high IS. The intervention also led to increases in motivation to get tested with one’s partner and decreases in alcohol consumption for those with high IS, but not low/average IS. In contrast, IS did not moderate intervention effects on other motivational constructs, dyadic adjustment, or alcohol problems. In sum, IS influences the extent to which young male couples benefit from HIV prevention and relationship education depending on the outcome. Research is needed to understand how IS influences treatment outcomes.

AB - Young MSM are at increased risk for HIV, especially in the context of serious relationships, but there is a lack of couplesbased HIV prevention for this population. The 2GETHER intervention-an HIV prevention and relationship education program for young male couples-demonstrated promising effects in a pilot trial. However, there is evidence that internalized stigma (IS) can influence treatment outcomes among MSM. The current study examined the influence of IS on the efficacy of the 2GETHER intervention among 57 young male couples. The intervention led to decreases in percentage of condomless anal sex partners and increases in subjective norms regarding HIV prevention for those with low/average IS, but not high IS. The intervention also led to increases in motivation to get tested with one’s partner and decreases in alcohol consumption for those with high IS, but not low/average IS. In contrast, IS did not moderate intervention effects on other motivational constructs, dyadic adjustment, or alcohol problems. In sum, IS influences the extent to which young male couples benefit from HIV prevention and relationship education depending on the outcome. Research is needed to understand how IS influences treatment outcomes.

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The influence of internalized stigma on the efficacy of an HIV prevention and relationship education program for young male couples

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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