Abstract

This study investigated effects of counter-attitudinal advocacy on risky sexual behaviour among sero-discordant couples in Oyo north senatorial district, Nigeria. This study adopted a pre-test, post-test, control group, quasi experimental research design. The design was used to determine the effectiveness of the counter-attitudinal advocacy. The population for this study was the aggregate of all the sero- discordant couples that are assessing HIV counseling and testing services at LACA Centers in Oyo north senatorial district. Three local government areas were purposively selected being a transit border town namely, Iseyin, Iwajowa and Saki west. The available 104 sero-discordant couples who indicated willingness to participate were initially selected and administered with risky sexual taking behavioural scale in order to screen for participants with high risky sexual behaviour. Eighty participants were eventually randomised into counter attitudinal advocacy strategy (20) and control (20) groups. HIV risky sexual taking behaviour scale, HIV/AIDS risky sexual behaviour scale and Vanderbilt mental health self-efficacy questionnaire were used to collect data. The inferential statistics of analysis of covariance was also used to test the formulated hypotheses. Multiple classification analysis was employed to find the significant differences shows a significant main effect of treatment in reducing HIV/AIDS risky sexual behaviour among discordant couples (f1,32 = 45.470; p<0.05, ῆ2 = 0.569). The counter attitudinal advocacy ( X = 35.25, sd = 2.243), while higher score was obtained by the control group ( X = 36.64, sd = 3.445). To this end, counterattitudinal advocacy strategy was more effective in reducing HIV/AIDS risky sexual behavior among discordant couples than the control group respectively. There is significant main effect of health self-efficacy in reducing HIV/AIDS risky sexual behaviour among discordant couples in the post-test scores of low and high participants exposed to counter-attitudinal Training) and the control group (f(1,32)= 12.924, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.158). Counter-attitudinal advocacy could be used in ante-natal clinic, maternity centers, Non- Governmental Organisation (NGOs) on HIV/AIDS, family planning clinics, to counsel and to enhance the Health Self-efficacy of the discordant couples and other people living with HIV in the area of risky sexual behaviour reduction.