Attitudes towards couples HIV testing and counseling among Latino men who have sex with men in the Seattle area

Abstract

Men who have sex with men (MSM) remain the most severely affected risk group in the US HIV/AIDS epidemic. One-third to two-thirds of HIV transmissions among MSM are estimated to come from primary sex partners. Couples HIV testing and counseling (CHTC), in which two individuals receive pre-test counseling, HIV testing and post-test prevention planning together, has been adapted for male couples in the USA, and is now available in more than 30 cities. Previous studies have demonstrated high levels of willingness to use CHTC among MSM, but to date no studies have explored this among Latino MSM (LMSM). To examine the willingness to use CHTC among and further cultural adaptation needed for LMSM, focus group discussions were held with men who self-identified as Latino, were in a relationship with another man, and resided in Seattle. Willingness to use CHTC was high. Participants reported that CHTC could strengthen and validate their relationships, help mitigate stigma, and provide a forum for support, protection, and information sharing. Barriers to CHTC use included fears of rejection, loneliness, and relationship dissolution, and concerns around deportation and financial burden. The high levels of reported willingness to use CHTC among this sample of LMSM point to the potential for CHTC to be further adapted to provide dyadic HIV testing services for LMSM.

Keywords:

• Latino
• MSM
• couples
• HIV
• testing

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Sarah McDougal from the University of Washington for assisting in the development of our research protocol, and Marcos Martinez and Joel Aguirre from Entre Hermanos for their help in recruiting study participants and hosting the event.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This original research was supported by funding from Emory Center for AIDS Research [grant number P30 AI050409] and the University of Washington under STD/AIDS Research Training [grant number 5T32AI007140-35].