Actor-partner effects associated with experiencing intimate partner violence or coercion among male couples enrolled in an HIV prevention trial

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Kristin Wall, Emory University; Patrick S Sullivan, Emory University; David Kleinbaum, Emory University; Robert Stephenson, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2014
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 Wall et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
• Final Published Version (URL): http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/14/209
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: BMC Public Health
• ISSN: 1471-2458
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 209
• Grant/Funding Information: National Institutes of Health (R34-MH086331) and The Emory Center for AIDS Research (P30-AI050409).
• Keywords: HIV; Actor-partner interdependence model; MSM; Coercion; Intimate partner violence
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Education; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) and coercion have been associated with negative health outcomes, including increased HIV risk behaviors, among men who have sex with men (MSM). This is the first study to describe the prevalence and factors associated with experiencing IPV or coercion among US MSM dyads using the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM), an analytic framework to describe interdependent outcomes within dyads. Methods Among MSM couples enrolled as dyads in an HIV prevention randomized controlled trial (RCT), two outcomes are examined in this cross-sectional analysis: 1) the actor experiencing physical or sexual IPV from the study partner in the past 3-months and 2) the actor feeling coerced to participate in the RCT by the study partner. Two multilevel APIM logistic regression models evaluated the association between each outcome and actor, partner, and dyad-level factors. Results Of 190 individuals (95 MSM couples), 14 reported experiencing physical or sexual IPV from their study partner in the past 3 months (7.3%) and 12 reported feeling coerced to participate in the RCT by their study partner (6.3%). Results of multivariate APIM analyses indicated that reporting experienced IPV was associated (p < 0.1) with non-Black/African American actor race, lower actor education, and lower partner education. Reporting experienced coercion was associated (p < 0.1) with younger actor age and lower partner education. Conclusions These findings from an HIV prevention RCT for MSM show considerable levels of IPV experienced in the past 3-months and coercion to participate in the research study, indicating the need for screening tools and support services for these behaviors. The identification of factors associated with IPV and coercion demonstrate the importance of considering actor and partner effects, as well as dyadic-level effects, to improve development of screening tools and support services for these outcomes.