Self-reported Intimate Partner Violence Before and After Return of Recency Test Results: Findings from the Rwanda HIV...

We conducted a prospective cohort study to assess IPV experiences after returning recency test results to PLHIV in Rwanda. At 60 health facilities, newly diagnosed PLHIV underwent HIV recency testing and baseline viral load measurement. Recency test results were returned after viral load testing. During interviews conducted at four study visits over 6 months, participants self-reported IPV victimization and perpetration experiences with current partner(s) in the past four weeks. We compared IPV prevalence before/after HIV diagnosis and before/after return of recency test results. Victimization experiences were also compared between recent (RT) and long-term (LT) cases using generalized linear mixed models. Between August 2021 and October 2022, 932 newly diagnosed PLHIV had IPV data from ≥ 1 visits after return of recency test results. Of these, 91.1% had LT infection and 8.9% had RT infection. Victimization prevalence was higher before HIV diagnosis compared to after HIV diagnosis (29.8% vs. 17.6%, p < 0.001) and did not increase after return of recency test results at 2 (17.6% vs. 16.8%, p = 0.7) or 6 months (17.6% vs. 15.3%, p = 0.2). Victimization or perpetration prevalence did not differ between RT and LT participants before/after return of recency test results, and return of RT infection result was not associated with increased victimization relative to return of LT infection result in multivariable analysis. In a setting with high baseline IPV, returning recency test results did not increase IPV experience over 6 months. HIV testing services should nonetheless continue to implement strategies to mitigate IPV risks.Clinical Trial Number: NCT05063487.