Development of a text-based chatroom HIV prevention and confidence-building intervention for same-sex attracted young males in South England

The aim of this study was to develop a virtual youth center, providing a safe and supportive online space for sexual minority young men to talk and learn about HIV, sexuality, relationships and sex – topics rarely addressed inclusively in mainstream education. Eleven male participants aged 15–19 years living in South England completed the full programme of three text-based chatroom sessions. Participants were guided through discussions to introduce new knowledge and build emotional resilience. Self-report measures were taken before and after the programme. Recruitment to the project was challenging owing, in large part, to appropriately rigorous safeguarding protocols. All those taking part either maintained or improved their level of HIV knowledge and felt more confident about their sexuality. Participants described the experience as “informative” and “enjoyable”. Further iterations of the model could seek to measure behavioral change and use more robust evaluation methods, such as a comparison group.