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A Conceptual Model of Dyadic Coordination in HIV Care Engagement Among Couples of Black Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Qualitative Dyadic Analysis

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Abstract

Among Black men who have sex with men (MSM), HIV incidence is disproportionately high and HIV care engagement is disproportionately low. There may be important opportunities to leverage the primary relationship to improve engagement in HIV care and treatment among Black MSM couples. Using dyadic qualitative analysis of semi-structured, one-on-one interviews, we explored dyadic aspects of HIV care engagement among 14 Black MSM couples in which at least one partner was HIV-positive and identified as a Black cisgender man. Findings showed that men varied in how involved they were in their HIV-positive partner’s care and treatment, and in how they reciprocated their partner’s involvement. Patterns of dyadic HIV care engagement supported a conceptual model of dyadic coordination that describes Black MSM relationships in terms of two conceptual dimensions of dyadic HIV care engagement, and guides future intervention designs with Black MSM couples.

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Acknowledgements

J.Y. Tan was supported by a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Mentored Research Scientist Award (K01 MH106416). A.A. Conroy was supported by a NIMH Mentored Research Scientist Award (K01 MH107331).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 550 16th Street, 3rd Fl, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA

    Judy Y. Tan, Chadwick K. Campbell, Robert Siedle-Khan & Amy A. Conroy

  2. Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, USA

    Alyssa P. Tabrisky

Authors
  1. Judy Y. Tan
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  2. Chadwick K. Campbell
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  3. Alyssa P. Tabrisky
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  4. Robert Siedle-Khan
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  5. Amy A. Conroy
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Correspondence to Judy Y. Tan.

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All the authors declared that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approal

All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the UCSF Committee of Human Research/Institutional Review Board, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this study.

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Tan, J.Y., Campbell, C.K., Tabrisky, A.P. et al. A Conceptual Model of Dyadic Coordination in HIV Care Engagement Among Couples of Black Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Qualitative Dyadic Analysis. AIDS Behav 22, 2584–2592 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2070-0

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