# Brief couples-based alcohol intervention for HIV-infected MSM and their primary partners

> **NIH NIH R34** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $230,648

## Abstract

Project Summary
Heavy alcohol use in HIV-infected patients contributes to suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy
(ART), greater sexual risk taking, higher viral loads, and worsened liver and cognitive functioning. Gay,
bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to represent almost half of all HIV/AIDS
cases in the United States, and heavy drinking is particularly high among this HIV-infected sub-group. Brief
motivational interventions have been shown to reduce alcohol consumption among HIV-infected MSM;
however, these individual-level interventions have demonstrated only modest effects in reducing drinking in
this population, indicating that sustained behavior change requires attending to social and interpersonal
contexts as well. To date, there are no existing brief, couples-based interventions to address heavy alcohol
use among HIV-infected MSM and their primary partners that do not require alcohol abstinence treatment
goals. Furthermore, there are no published data on the extent to which changes in couples alcohol use
relate to key HIV-related outcomes (ART adherence, viral suppression, sexual risk). The overall aim of this
project is to develop and test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a brief couples-based
motivational intervention to address heavy alcohol use among HIV-infected MSM and their primary partner.
This treatment development project builds on our individual-level motivational intervention (MI) with HIV-
infected MSM by using components from our significant other-involved motivational intervention (SO-MI)
and couples-based HIV prevention interventions, and seeks to provide insights into the mechanisms of
couple-level behavior change, including motivation, individual and dyadic self-efficacy, and partner support.
A two-step sequence of treatment development will be used to achieve these aims. Stage 1a includes
interviews with key informants (N = 15 couples), manual development, therapist training, and a one-arm
pilot with qualitative exit interviews (N = 12 couples). Stage 1b consists of a small-randomized clinical trial in
which 50 heavy drinking HIV-infected MSM will be randomly assigned to either couples intervention, which
involves participation of their partner, or to the existing individual intervention, which does not. Both
conditions will consist of four sessions conducted over a one-month period. Participants will be interviewed
at baseline, and 3-months and 6-months. Findings will provide data on the feasibility, acceptability and
preliminary efficacy of the couples-based motivational intervention to reduce alcohol use among HIV-
infected MSM and their primary partners. If this research shows initial promise, we will use findings to
support an R01 application to test the intervention efficacy in a fully powered randomized controlled trial.
This research could provide a foundation for improving the health of HIV-infected heavy drinking MSM.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9922838
- **Project number:** 5R34AA024703-03
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristi E Gamarel
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $230,648
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-10 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9922838

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9922838, Brief couples-based alcohol intervention for HIV-infected MSM and their primary partners (5R34AA024703-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-03 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9922838. Licensed CC0.

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