Background and objective: Patient-based partner referral has limited effectiveness. We studied factors associated with sexual partner referral among patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) with a view of suggesting remedial action.
Goal: To examine the role of psychosocial variables vis-a-vis other variables in predicting sexual partner referral.
Study design: A cross-sectional interview survey with 507 patients with STDs at an STD clinic in Kampala, Uganda. Multivariate analyses were used to identify independent predictors of sexual partner referral.
Results: Forty-two percent of the 599 partners elicited were referred. The independent factors that favored sexual partner referral were examined in the laboratory (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20-4.05): psychosocial variables of intention (likelihood of referring the partner) (AOR 4.60, CI 1.58-13.36), self-efficacy (partner referral being easy) (AOR 3.22, CI 1.36-7.66), having a positive attitude toward partner referral (AOR 1.19, CI 1.06-1.33), and previous success in having referred a partner (AOR 9.78, CI 2.90-33.04). Other variables, such as age, sex, marital status, employment, and type of partner, that were significant on univariate analysis were not significant after multivariate analysis.
Conclusion: By providing interventions to change the psychosocial variables, there is a high chance of improving compliance with sexual partner referral.
PIP: This study examined the role of psychosocial variables versus other variables in predicting sexual partner referral. Multivariate analyses were employed to identify independent predictors of sexual partner referral among 507 patients with sexually transmitted diseases in Kampala, Uganda. The study, which was carried out from May 1 to August 31, 1998, indicated that 42% of the 599 partners elicited were referred. The independent factors that favored sexual partner referral were examined in the laboratory and were 1) psychosocial variables of intention (likelihood of referring the partner); 2) self-efficacy (partner referral being easy), having a positive attitude toward partner referral; and 3) previous success in having referred a partner. Other variables, such as age, sex, marital status, employment, and type of partner, were no longer significant after the multivariate analysis was conducted. This study demonstrated that patient referral was mainly influenced by psychosocial variables compared to sociodemographic, disease-based, or type of partner variables. Thus, improvement of compliance with sexual partner referral should focus on interventions that change these psychosocial variables.