Concordant and Discordant Reports on Shared Sexual Behaviors and Condom Use Among African American Serodiscordant Couples in Four Cities

AIDS Behav (2010) 14:1011–1022 DOI 10.1007/s10461-010-9699-7 ORIGINAL PAPER Concordant and Discordant Reports on Shared Sexual Behaviors and Condom Use Among African American Serodiscordant Couples in Four Cities The NIMH Multisite HIV/STD Prevention Trial for African American Couples Group Published online: 25 May 2010 O Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010 Abstract This paper examines the concordance of reported shared sexual behaviors, including condom use, among 535 heterosexual, African American, serodiscordant couples and identifies factors that might predict discordant reports. Percentages of agreement, Kappa and McNemar’s statistics and conditional probability indices are used to measure concordance. Logistic regression models identify predictors of couples’ discordant sexual reports. Analyses revealed Kappa statistics for reporting anal sex, fellatio and cunnilingus indicated moderate to substantial agreement. The effects of demographics and the couples’ relationship contexts on concordance of reported sexual behaviors were found to vary somewhat by gender and type of sexual behavior. Findings showed that concordance of reporting between the couples was consistent for the past 90 and 30 days. Findings from this paper provide new scientific insights into the knowledge base of self-reported couples’ data and suggest that these data can be used to evaluate their accuracy and serve as a proxy for validity. The NIMH Multisite HIV/STD Prevention Trial for African American Couples Study Group Facilitators Jeffery Brently, MSW - Columbia Rebecca D. Cheraquit, MSSW - Columbia Deborah Gray - Columbia Linda Hakim - Columbia Bright Sarfo - Columbia Kijana Saunders - Columbia Dawn Simmons, MSW - Columbia Keisha Wilson, MSW - Columbia Nikia D. Braxton, MPH - Emory Christina Camp, PhD - Emory Anita Conner, MPH - Emory Jevon Gibson - Emory Alvin Harmon, PhD - Emory Teaniese Latham, MPH - Emory Tiffany Pennick-Walters, MPH - Emory Kenneth Rucker - Emory Shammara Steinback, MPH - Emory Phillip Williams - Emory Richard Williams, PhD - Emory Shauni Williams - Emory Kevin Chancy, PsyD - UCLA Frank Levels - UCLA Nathaniel Thomas, PhD - UCLA Reginald Bennett, MS - Penn Shirley Bryson, MSW - Penn Salema Curtis, MPH - Penn Michelle Jones, MS - Penn Phyllis Jones, MSW - Penn Malachi Moore, MS - Penn Charles Patterson, MA - Penn Marcia Penn, MS - Penn Alicia Samuel, M.Ed. - Penn Steering Committee Nabila El-Bassel, DSW (PI) - Columbia Gina Wingood, ScD, MPH (PI) - Emory Gail E. Wyatt, PhD (PI) - UCLA John B. Jemmott, III, PhD (PI) - Penn Willo Pequegnat, PhD - NIMH J. Richard Landis, PhD (PI) - DCC Co-Investigators Scarlett Bellamy, ScD - DCC Louisa Gilbert, PhD Candidate - Columbia Robert H. Remien, PhD - Columbia Susan Witte, PhD - Columbia Elwin Wu, PhD - Columbia Ralph DiClemente, PhD - Emory Hector Myers, PhD - UCLA Loretta Sweet Jemmott, PhD, RN, FAAN - Penn David Metzger, PhD - Penn Data Coordinating Center (DCC - Penn) Shawn Ballard, MS Trina Brown Quincy Greene Christopher Helker, RN, MSPH Nancy Robinson, PhD Lynne Allen-Taylor, PhD Dina Appleby, MS Evelyn Crowley, PhD Project Directors Angela Ankoma MSSW, MPH - Columbia Deidre Ashton, MSSW - Columbia Dawn A. Goddard, MSS - Columbia Tamu Daniel, MPH - Emory Tina Henderson, PhD - UCLA Inna Rivkin, PhD - UCLA Cynthia M. Green, MA - Penn