1. LOVE WITH HIV
AIDS 2016, Tuesday July 19, 2016
Abstract No. TUPDD0306
A latent class analysis of intimate relationships among women living with HIV enrolled in Canada's largest multi-site community-based research study
Allison Carter1,2, Saara Greene3, Catherine Hankins6, Lori A. Brotto5, Deborah Money4,5, Mary Kestler7, Sophie Patterson1,2, Nadia O’Brien8,9, Kate Salters1,2, Erin Ding2, Kath Webster1, Valerie Nicholson1, Margarite Sanchez11, Marisol Desbiens10, Danièle Dubuc8, Sally Y. Lin1,2, Robert S Hogg1,2, Alexandra de Pokomandy8,9, Mona Loutfy10, Angela Kaida1, On behalf of the CHIWOS Research Team
1. Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University; 2. British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS; 3. School of Social Work, McMaster University; 4. Women’s Health Research Institute, BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre; 5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia; 6. Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD), University of Amsterdam; 7. Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia; 8. Chronic Viral Illness Service, McGill University Health Centre,; 9. Department of Family Medicine, McGill University; 10. Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital; 11. ViVA, Positive Living Society of BC.
We gratefully acknowledge all of the women living with HIV who participate in CHIWOS; the national team of Peer Research Associates, Co-investigators, and Collaborators; the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS for data support; all partnering organizations who support recruitment and operations; and our funders.

2. BACKGROUND AND METHODS
Objectives: Characterize women’s relationships using multiple measures, examine differences in love, identify psychosocial covariates.
The CHIWOS Study
1,425 women ≥16 years
Surveys at baseline and 18-months (peer-led)
Community-based research and feminist principles
Latent Class Analysis
A statistical method for uncovering meaningful subgroups
of individuals characterized by the intersection of multiple
observed variables.

3. Relationship without sex
RESULTS
No relationship
47% (n=621)
Relationship without sex
9% (n=118)
Short-term/casual
16% (n=209)
Long-term/unhappy
7% (n=95)
44%
24%
43%
59%
Long-term/happy
22% (n=292)
97%
86%
82%
71%
3 types of sexual relationships
Five latent classes
Two longer-term classes had high
prob. of reporting an exclusive
married/common-law/living-apart
relationship of ≥3-years duration
vs. short-term classes, but diverged
on 4 measures shown.
Love/affection: (p<0.0001)
Contentment with physical intimacy:
Contentment with emotional closeness:
High (equitable) relationship power:
Couple HIV-serodiscordance:
64%
39%
37%
48%
23%
Multinomial logistic regression: (referent: no relationship)
Women >50-years were less likely to be in any relationship
Sex work [AOR: 3.03 (95% CI: )], violence [6.64 ( )] short-term/casual
No depression [2.90( )] long-term/happy
No associations with gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or other variables.

4. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Heterogeneity in women’s relationships
Five multidimensional classes: half no relationship, one-fifth long-term happy
Sex did not equate with love/affection
Relationships without sex had higher levels of love than some sexual relationships
Classes were associated with several psychosocial factors
Age, sex work, violence, depression
A need for a more nuanced, comprehensive, and positive approach to women’s relationships and sexuality.