Forging Resilience to HIV/AIDS: Personal Strengths of Middle-aged and Older Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men Living With HIV/AIDS

Abstract

HIV-positive gay, bisexual, two-spirit, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) have exhibited significant resilience to HIV/AIDS in Canada since the start of the epidemic. Since 2012, most of the research that has been conducted on resilience to HIV/AIDS has utilized quantitative methods and deficits-based approaches, with a preferential focus on the plight of young MSM. In order to address apparent gaps in research on HIV/AIDS resilience, we conducted a community-based participatory research qualitative study that utilized a strengths-based approach to examine the perspectives and lived experiences of HIV-positive, middle-aged and older MSM on their individual attributes that helped forge their HIV/AIDS resilience. We conducted 41 semistructured interviews with diverse, HIV-positive, middle-aged and older MSM from Central and Southwestern Ontario, Canada. From our thematic analysis of our interviews, we identified four themes, which represented personal strengths that fostered resilience to HIV/AIDS: (a) proactiveness, (b) perseverance, (c) having the right mindset, and (d) self-awareness with self-control. This article discusses the importance of these personal strengths to fostering HIV/AIDS resilience, and how community-based resources could potentially lessen the need to muster such personal strengths, or alternatively, cultivate them.

Kinky Sex and Deliberate Partner Negotiations: Case Studies of Canadian Transgender Men Who Have Sex with Men, Their HIV Risks, Safer Sex Practices, and Prevention Needs

“…In the case of TMSM, this reliance on and great appreciation of social engagement, social support, and accessible community resources were distinctly exemplified by the experiences and sentiments described in all three case studies. Several research studies have emphasized the benefits gained by MSM and trans individuals from having perceived social support from LGBTQIA+ friends [ 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 ], and strong connections with gender-affirming communities and sexual health care [ 46 , 47 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 65 ], especially those that prioritize the elimination of cisgenderism and transphobia [ 70 ]. They have also emphasized the need for such HIV services and programs to create sustainable opportunities to increase the financial security of TMSM, as well as develop more opportunities for TMSM to receive gender affirmation and social support from accessible community resources.…”

Promoting Resilience among Middle-Aged and Older Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada: An Examination of Facilitators and Challenges from a Social Determinants of Health Perspective

“…The scientific study of resilience among HIV/AIDS populations has continued to grow in the 21st century [11,14,15]. Researchers focused on strengths-based approaches for developing interventions to address various issues related to HIV/AIDS have increasingly recognized the important role of resilience in the focus of their scholarly work [16,17].…”

“…Among the different groups affected by HIV/AIDS, ethnoracially diverse, middleaged and older men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV/AIDS have been the specific subpopulation that has been impacted by HIV/AIDS the longest [18,19], and likely the group that has exhibited resilience to HIV/AIDS the most since the beginning of the epidemic [20]. Evidence of resilience to HIV/AIDS among middle-aged and older MSM has been documented and discussed in research articles [21][22][23], and consequently, resilience to HIV/AIDS has been reported to be key to the successful aging of MSM living with HIV/AIDS [24].…”

“…Recent studies have explored and discussed a variety of factors that have either prospectively served as facilitators to the promotion of resilience to HIV/AIDS among MSM living with HIV/AIDS, or as barriers and challenges to such resilience-building [20,[28][29][30][31]. Examples of facilitators that have been explored include individual characteristics such as perseverance [30,31]; external protective factors such as social support from family and friends, religion and spirituality, and education [16,20,26]; and community-level resources such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) not-for-profit agencies and AIDS services organizations [17,[32][33][34].…”

“…Recent studies have explored and discussed a variety of factors that have either prospectively served as facilitators to the promotion of resilience to HIV/AIDS among MSM living with HIV/AIDS, or as barriers and challenges to such resilience-building [20,[28][29][30][31]. Examples of facilitators that have been explored include individual characteristics such as perseverance [30,31]; external protective factors such as social support from family and friends, religion and spirituality, and education [16,20,26]; and community-level resources such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) not-for-profit agencies and AIDS services organizations [17,[32][33][34]. Examples of challenges that have been examined in the research include HIV stigma and discrimination (i.e., negative attitudes toward HIV/AIDS and the negative treatment of PLWH that have been found to exacerbate social isolation and other co-occurring psychosocial health problems) [17,20,24,30,31,35], cultural and language barriers, and racism [30].…”