NIDA grant offers support to develop couples-based drug use intervention for partnered gay men

Dr. Tyrel Starks, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and faculty affiliate of the Hunter College Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training (CHEST), has been awarded a three-year grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), totaling $666,900, to develop a couples-based drug use intervention for gay male couples.

Studies of partnered gay men suggest that drug use is closely related to how the couple handles sex outside their relationship. This association between drug use and sex with outside partners is particularly important for the health of partnered gay men. Gay and bisexual men continue to account for a significant majority of all new HIV infections in the U.S. and many -- possibly most -- of these new infections are transmitted between main (not casual) partners.

While their risk is unique, partnered gay men also have the potential to draw upon their relationship as a source of support and motivation to reduce their health risks. This grant sets out to utilize this relational resource to reduce drug use -- and also related HIV infection risk -- among partnered gay men. Brief Motivational Interviewing approaches to drug use and HIV prevention have shown efficacy with gay and bisexual men; however, few couples-based interventions are currently available. The intervention integrates couples-based HIV testing and counseling into an evidence-based intervention developed at CHEST -- the Young Men's Health Project (YMHP). This brief 3-session intervention seeks to enhance couples' communication and reduce drug use and HIV infection risk through the development of joint goals and behavioral planning.

Doctoral students from the Health Psychology and Clinical Science PhD program at CUNY will be trained to deliver the intervention, and the project will involve many students and interns from Hunter College.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Study shows safety of kidney transplants among those with HIV infections