Integrating HIV Prevention and Relationship Education for Young Same-Sex Male Couples: A Pilot Trial of the 2GETHER Intervention

Abstract

Young men who have sex with men are at high risk for HIV, and most new HIV infections occur in serious relationships. This pilot study assessed the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the 2GETHER couples-based HIV prevention and relationship education intervention for young same-sex male couples. We enrolled 57 young male couples (N = 114) into a four-session hybrid group and individual intervention. We assessed acceptability via post-session surveys and exit interviews, and we examined preliminary efficacy at a two week posttest. The vast majority of participants (93%) reported exclusively positive impressions of 2GETHER, and all components received high mean ratings. We observed decreases in HIV risk behavior, increases in information, motivation and behavioral skills related to HIV prevention, and improvement in relationship investment between pretest and posttest. Integrating relationship education and sexual health programming may be an effective way to reduce HIV transmissions in young male couples.

The Influence of Internalized Stigma on the Efficacy of an HIV Prevention and Relationship Education Program for Young Male Couples

“…In contrast, there was not a significant main effect of internalized stigma and there was not a significant time by internalized stigma interaction. Of note, in the main outcome paper (5), the intervention effect on alcohol problems was only marginally significant. This difference is likely due to the fact that the current analyses included variables that were not included in the main outcome paper analyses (internalized stigma and the time by internalized stigma interaction).…”

“…Detailed information about participants and procedures have been reported elsewhere (5). In brief, inclusion criteria for both members of the couple were: (1) cisgender men (i.e., assigned male at birth and identified as male); (2) gay, bisexual, or same-sex attracted; (3) at least 18 years old (and one member of the couple was required to be 18–29 years old); (4) considered each other primary partners; (5) reported oral or anal sex with each other in the previous three months; and (6) agreed to have intervention sessions audio recorded.…”

“…At the end of each of the four sessions, participants were assigned homework focused on applying the skills that they had learned in that session to their everyday lives. Additional information about the 2GETHER intervention can be found elsewhere (5). …”

“…In fact, it has been estimated that 79–84% of new HIV infections among young MSM can be attributed to serious/main partners (4), highlighting the urgent need to extend HIV prevention to young male couples. To address this, Newcomb and colleagues developed the 2GETHER intervention—an HIV prevention and relationship education program for young male couples—which demonstrated promising effects in a pilot trial (5). While encouraging, there is also evidence that internalized stigma (i.e., the internalization of negative societal attitudes toward a stigmatized group) can influence the extent to which MSM benefit from behavioral health interventions (6, 7).…”

“…These programs represent promising advances in extending couples-based HIV prevention to MSM, but neither addresses the unique developmental needs of young male couples. Recently, Newcomb and colleagues developed the 2GETHER intervention—an HIV prevention and relationship education program for young male couples (5). The 2GETHER intervention integrates HIV prevention and relationship education content in a combined individual/group format to reduce HIV transmission risk by increasing information, motivation, and behavioral skills related to HIV prevention for couples and improving relationship functioning.…”