AIDS Behav. 2017 Jun;21(6):1540-1549. doi: 10.1007/s10461-016-1533-4.
Parsons JT1,2,3, Rendina HJ4,5, Moody RL4,6, Gurung S4,7, Starks TJ4,6,5, Pachankis JE8.
Abstract
Gay and bisexual men (GBM) report high rates of sexual compulsivity (SC), yet no empirically based treatments exist. An intervention based on the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders was pilot tested in a sample of 13 HIV-positive GBM with SC. Participants completed a baseline interview, and were offered up to ten intervention sessions. Of those, 11 completed a 3-month follow-up assessment. Despite problems with session attendance (only 4 men completed all 10 sessions), improvements were observed in all psychological outcomes, including SC, depression, and anxiety. Decreases were observed in drug use and HIV risk. The Unified Protocol may be useful in improving the health of HIV-positive GBM, however challenges with session attendance must be addressed. Future work should consider if fewer sessions produce similar results, whether barriers to attending all sessions could be alleviated, and how the intervention would perform compared to treatments.
KEYWORDS: Cognitive behavioral therapy; Gay and bisexual men; HIV-positive; Mental health; Sexual compulsivity
PMID: 27573858
PMCID: PMC5332525
DOI: 10.1007/s10461-016-1533-4
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