An Integrated Intimate Partner Violence and HIV Risk Reduction Intervention for Women with Abuse Histories: Pilot Results

Background: HIV is a serious public health issue. Few interventions have targeted HIV risk reduction among abused women. This study tested the feasibility and preliminary effects of an 8-week theoretically driven psychosocial intervention to reduce women’s experiences of violence and risk for HIV.

Methods: Participants were recruited from community-based agencies. Eligibility criteria: (1) between 18-49; (2) reporting physical, emotional, or sexual violence in the past 3 months; and (3) reporting risky sexual behavior in the past 3 months. 

204 women were screened, 79 (39%) screened eligible, 55 (70%) were randomized into a two arm trial. Data were collected at baseline, post intervention, and 3-month follow up. Primary outcomes included experiences of violence, condom use, and sexual communication. GEE method was applied to perform the multivariable modeling of outcomes. 

 Findings: SUPPORT participants showed a significant decrease in the total number of episodes of unprotected sex across all sexual partners (RR= .5467; 95% CI = .3142, .9513; P = .03) at post-intervention. Compared to control, SUPPORT participants experienced a stronger decrease in overall frequency of episodes of unprotected sex with steady partner (RR = .4483; 95% CI = .2045, .9826; P = .04) and across all partners (RR = .4149; 95% CI = .1955, .8802; P = .02) from baseline to post-intervention.

 Compared to control, SUPPORT participants reported significantly higher number of conversations about safer sex with their steady partner at the 3-month follow-up (RR = 4.3957; 95% CI = 1.7834, 10.8342; P = .001). SUPPORT participants also significantly increased their communications about safer sex with their other sexual partners (RR = 2.1899; 95% CI = 1.2837, 3.7359; P = .004) between baseline and post-intervention. Their frequency of safer sex communications with these partners was significantly higher than that of control participants at post-intervention follow-up (RR = 6.3127; 95% CI = 1.9843, 20.0829; P = .001).

Both groups experienced significant reductions in experiences of battering at post-intervention (µs = -10.4016 and -7.6167, Ps = .004 and .01, respectively) and at 3-month follow-ups (µs = -15.1247 and -7.1577, Ps = .0008 and .02, respectively) compared to their baseline scores. SUPPORT participants also reported a significant reduction in experiences of IPV between baseline and post-intervention (µ= -25.8703, P = .005).

Conclusions: We successfully recruited and engaged a group of recently abused women in an integrated HIV-IPV risk reduction intervention. SUPPORT intervention showed promising results in reducing IPV and in increasing condom use and sexual communication across sexual partners. A larger RCT is warranted.