Effectiveness of a group intervention to reduce sexual transmission risk behavior among MSM living with HIV: a non-randomized controlled pilot study

Figures & data

Figure 1. Participant inclusion flowchart.

Note. MSM = men who have sex with men. *Excluded as they did not speak/understand Dutch fluently. **One person was excluded as his IQ was indicated to be too low to properly follow the intervention content, another was excluded as he mentioned not being able to attend most of the intervention sessions. ***Both participants dropped out as they were not able to attend the intervention sessions anymore due to planning issues.

Table 1. Descriptives of intervention (n = 12) and control (n = 16) participants at baseline.

Variable	Intervention n (%) / M (SD)	Control n (%) / M (SD)	Analysis statistic^a	p-value*
Age	42.3 (9.6)	46.6 (9.8)	F = 1.30	.264
Education^b  Low  Medium  High	4 (33%) 3 (25%) 5 (42%)	8 (50%) 2 (13%) 6 (37%)	X^2 = 1.08	.584
Occupation  Not working  Working	3 (25%) 9 (75%)	3 (19%) 13 (81%)	X^2 = 0.16	.690
Marital status  Single  Together^c	6 (50%) 6 (50%)	7 (44%) 9 (56%)	X^2 = 0.11	.743
Sexual orientation  Gay or bisexual  Heterosexual	12 (100%) 0 (0%)	15 (94%) 1 (6%)	X^2 = 0.78	.378
Substance use past month^d  No use  Alcohol  Tobacco  Cannabis  Other substances^e	0 (0%) 9 (75%) 5 (42%) 5 (42%) 11 (92%)	1 (6%) 14 (88%) 7 (44%) 4 (25%) 15 (94%)	X^2 = 0.78 X^2 = 0.73 X^2 = 0.01 X^2 = 0.87 X^2 = 0.05	.378 .393 .912 .350 .832
Years of HIV diagnosis	8.1 (5.1)	9.1 (4.7)	F = 0.27	.609
Viral load (CD4 count)	732 (181)	739 (286)	F = 0.01	.937
Years of ART medication	7.0 (4.3)	7.0 (4.8)	F < 0.01	.987
Psychiatric medication  No  Yes	9 (75%) 3 (25%)	18 (100%) 0 (0%)	X^2 = 4.48	.034*
STI screenings in a year^f	3.3 (1.5)	2.6 (1.2)	F = 1.82	.188
Positive STI screenings in a year^f	1.2 (0.8)	0.8 (1.1)	F = 0.86	.363

ART = Antiretroviral therapy; CD4 count = cluster of differentiation 4 glycoprotein/white blood cells, found on the surface of immune cells, indicating the health of the immune system; STI = sexually transmitted infections.

^a X² = Pearson’s chi-squared test value; F = Fisher’s F ratio.

^b Low = preparatory secondary vocational education or vocational training; Medium = senior general secondary education or university preparatory education; High = bachelor/master degree or PhD.

^c Married, registered partnership or living together.

^d Substance use was reported when participants reported use at least once in the previous month.

^e Use of other substances such as stimulants (e.g., cocaine), depressants (e.g., GHB), opioids (e.g., heroin), or hallucinogens (e.g., LSD).

^f Amount of (positive) STI screenings reported in the period of one year prior to inclusion.

*p-value < .05.

Figure 2. Comparison of sexual transmission risk behavior between the intervention group and the control group.

Table 2. Changes in sexual transmission risk behavior, impulsivity, mental health, and functional impairment among groups over time.

Variable	Intervention (n = 12)		Control (n = 16)		Interaction values^a
	Baseline	Follow-up	Baseline	Follow-up
	M (SD)		M (SD)		F (df)	p	Eta^2
Sexual transmission risk behavior
Sexual risks (SRS; range: 0>)	71.3 (53.8)	18.3 (12.4)	37.3 (33.1)	20.4 (13.3)	4.57 (1)	.043*	.154
Sexual compulsivity (SCS; range: 10–40)	28.2 (3.4)	17.2 (5.0)	15.1 (4.9)	14.5 (4.5)	38.90 (1)	<.001*	.609
Sexual sensation seeking (SSSS; range: 16-64)	45.7 (11.4)	28.2 (6.4)	27.2 (10.9)	25.8 (9.2)	16.00 (1)	<.001*	.390
Impulsivity
Attention (BIS-11; range: 8–32)	22.8 (3.0)	16.5 (3.3)	15.1 (2.6)	13.6 (2.8)	13.75 (1)	.001*	.355
Motor (BIS-11; range: 11–44)	31.0 (2.3)	21.2 (4.5)	21.1 (3.6)	19.7 (3.1)	29.87 (1)	<.001*	.544
Non-planning (BIS-11; range: 11–44)	20.1 (6.9)	24.3 (5.2)	23.1 (4.6)	22.8 (3.7)	3.52 (1)	.072	.123
Drive (BIS/BAS; range: 4–16)	9.3 (2.1)	9.4 (2.6)	9.9 (3.0)	9.5 (2.1)	0.36 (1)	.556	.014
Fun-seeking (BIS/BAS; range: 4–16)	9.1 (1.5)	9.2 (2.1)	9.6 (2.4)	9.8 (2.2)	<0.01 (1)	.987	<.001
Reward (BIS/BAS; range: 5–20)	8.2 (1.3)	8.5 (1.6)	8.8 (2.0)	7.8 (1.8)	6.19 (1)	.020*	.198
Reward (SPSRQ; range: 24–48)	36.1 (2.8)	38.3 (3.2)	39.6 (4.0)	38.3 (3.4)	6.13 (1)	.020*	.197
Mental health
Depression (DASS-21; range: 0–42)	15.0 (11.1)	11.0 (9.0)	5.9 (8.8)	5.0 (7.2)	1.42 (1)	.245	.054
Anxiety (DASS-21; range: 0–42)	9.0 (7.7)	6.2 (5.4)	5.0 (7.4)	4.8 (6.0)	1.93 (1)	.177	.072
Stress (DASS-21; range: 0–42)	19.7 (11.6)	13.5 (10.1)	7.8 (7.9)	5.7 (6.4)	4.03 (1)	.056	.139
Functional impairment
Symptom distress (OQ-45; range: 0–100)	41.6 (14.6)	32.8 (12.9)	23.4 (17.0)	19.7 (12.4)	1.72 (1)	.202	.064
Interpersonal relations (OQ-45; range: 0–44)	19.2 (6.7)	13.3 (5.3)	8.4 (5.8)	8.0 (4.5)	16.47 (1)	<.001*	.397
Social role (OQ-45; range: 0–36)	14.6 (4.7)	12.8 (3.6)	10.4 (5.9)	7.8 (4.3)	0.87 (1)	.359	.034

^a Huynh-Feldt corrected statistics for time * group effects.

*p < .05.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.