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.