Dual motivational model of pre-exposure prophylaxis use intention: model testing among men who have sex men in Ukraine

ABSTRACT

The Dual Motivational Model of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use intention (DMM) is a new theoretical model recently tested among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States. The model posits that there are two main motivational pathways to use PrEP: the Protection Motivation Pathway and the Expectancy Motivation Pathway. The Protection Motivation Pathway suggests that the intention to use PrEP is triggered by the desire to protect oneself from HIV, while the Expectancy Motivation Pathway suggests that PrEP use intention is triggered by the expectation to have better sexual experiences on PrEP. Although both motivators have been tested separately, only the DMM of PrEP use intention suggests that both pathways simultaneously influence an individual’s intention to use PrEP. We used data from 1078 MSM in Ukraine to test the DMM. Results show that the relationship of the pathways is similar among Ukrainian and American MSM. Potential explanations for minor differences may be related to cultural and contextual differences, and the different trajectories for PrEP roll-out. Successful validation of the DMM for PrEP use intention as a theoretical model suggests that it may be applied to other cultures contemplating PrEP use delivery to target health promotion among high risk MSM.

KEYWORDS:

• Ukraine
• men who have sex with men
• HIV prevention
• pre-exposure prophylaxis
• dual motivational model of PrEP use intention

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Yerina S. Ranjit http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4361-7508

Katherine M. Rich http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2767-2355

Frederick L. Altice http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7860-693X

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was also supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, under Award Number AR060231 (Fraenkel), NIDA K24DA017072 (Altice), and SAMHSA 1H79TI025889 (Altice). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors do not have any conflicts of interest related to the content of this manuscript.