Quality of relationship and sexual risk behaviors among HIV couples in Lusaka, Zambia

Relationship quality and partner dynamics provide important insights into understanding sexual behavior within HIV sero-positive and sero-discordant couples. Individuals in long-term partnerships may be vulnerable to HIV/sexually transmitted infections (STI) within their relationships due to misperceptions of their partners risk behaviors and potential concurrent (e.g., extramarital, nonprimary) sexual partnerships. This study sought to examine relationship quality among HIV sero-positive and sero-discordant couples in Zambia, and its association with safer sex behavior. This study utilized data drawn from an ongoing translational study, The Partnership II Project-a couples-based sexual risk reduction intervention in Lusaka, Zambia. Couples (n=240) were assessed on demographics, relationship quality, and sexual risk behavior. Overall, couples perceiving their relationships more positively engaged in less risky sexual behavior (i.e., more condom use (b=0.011, t=3.14, p=0.002) and fewer partners (χ²=11.4, p=0.003). Within the dyad, condom use was "actor driven," indicating that the association between relationship quality and condom use did not depend on the partner's evaluation of the relationship. Safer sex behavior was positively influenced by communication about condoms. Results support the paradigm shift from prevention strategies with HIV-positive and at-risk individuals to concentrated efforts addressing male-female dyads, and suggest that interventions to address the role of couples' relationship quality, a modifiable target for decreasing sexual risk behavior, are needed.