Abstract:BackgroundPeople with HIV with access to treatment are growing older and living healthier lives than in the past, and while health improvements and increased survival rates are welcome, the psychological and social consequences and quality of life of ageing are complex for this group. Understanding how ageing, HIV and quality of life intersect is key to developing effective interventions to improve QoL.MethodsOne hundred people with HIV over the age of 50 (range 50–87, mean 58), were recruited through HIV comm… Show more
“…For example, HIV stigma made it difficult to establish romantic or sexual relationships, which was especially evident among gay men, many of whom also had to contend with homonegativity. This is important, as previous research has demonstrated that being in a relationship can improve the quality of life among older persons with HIV (Catalan et al ., 2017) and successful ageing with HIV often includes deliberately creating social networks that promote resilience and positivity (Emlet, 2017). Yet, for many in this study, their rural environment and social isolation was such that they had few options for social support, much less romantic or sexual relationships.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Rooted in intersectionality theory, intersectional stigma can help explain how persons simultaneously experience multiple stigmas and how such stigmas affect social, mental and physical wellbeing (Logie et al ., 2011). Intersectional stigma, and its manifestations and consequences, can contribute to poor quality of life in older people living with HIV (Catalan et al ., 2017). Older adults living with HIV are often subject to the intersecting stigmas of ageism and HIV stigma, and some may also have to contend with racism and/or homonegativity, the combination of which may multiply the negative effects on their mental health and access to social support (Emlet et al ., 2013).…”
There is a growing population of ageing individuals living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Older adults living with HIV often contend with intersecting stigmas including HIV stigma, ageism and, for some, homonegativity and/or racism. Although the HIV stigma literature is quite robust, research on the relationship between HIV stigma, social support and mental wellbeing among older adults living with HIV is limited. This study begins to address this gap by examining how intersectional stigma affects social support and mental wellbeing among rural-dwelling older adults living with HIV. Qualitative interviews were conducted by phone with 29 older adults living with HIV, over the age of 50, living in rural areas of the United States of America. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis in MAXQDA qualitative analysis software. Analysis revealed three primary themes. The first had to do with gossip and non-disclosure of HIV status, which intersected with ageism and homonegativity to exacerbate experiences that fell within the remaining themes of experiences of physical and psychological isolation and loneliness, and shame and silence surrounding depression. The prevalence of social isolation and the effects of limited social support among older adults living with HIV are prominent and indicate a need for tailored interventions within the HIV care continuum for older adults living with HIV.
“…For example, HIV stigma made it difficult to establish romantic or sexual relationships, which was especially evident among gay men, many of whom also had to contend with homonegativity. This is important, as previous research has demonstrated that being in a relationship can improve the quality of life among older persons with HIV (Catalan et al ., 2017) and successful ageing with HIV often includes deliberately creating social networks that promote resilience and positivity (Emlet, 2017). Yet, for many in this study, their rural environment and social isolation was such that they had few options for social support, much less romantic or sexual relationships.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Rooted in intersectionality theory, intersectional stigma can help explain how persons simultaneously experience multiple stigmas and how such stigmas affect social, mental and physical wellbeing (Logie et al ., 2011). Intersectional stigma, and its manifestations and consequences, can contribute to poor quality of life in older people living with HIV (Catalan et al ., 2017). Older adults living with HIV are often subject to the intersecting stigmas of ageism and HIV stigma, and some may also have to contend with racism and/or homonegativity, the combination of which may multiply the negative effects on their mental health and access to social support (Emlet et al ., 2013).…”
There is a growing population of ageing individuals living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Older adults living with HIV often contend with intersecting stigmas including HIV stigma, ageism and, for some, homonegativity and/or racism. Although the HIV stigma literature is quite robust, research on the relationship between HIV stigma, social support and mental wellbeing among older adults living with HIV is limited. This study begins to address this gap by examining how intersectional stigma affects social support and mental wellbeing among rural-dwelling older adults living with HIV. Qualitative interviews were conducted by phone with 29 older adults living with HIV, over the age of 50, living in rural areas of the United States of America. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis in MAXQDA qualitative analysis software. Analysis revealed three primary themes. The first had to do with gossip and non-disclosure of HIV status, which intersected with ageism and homonegativity to exacerbate experiences that fell within the remaining themes of experiences of physical and psychological isolation and loneliness, and shame and silence surrounding depression. The prevalence of social isolation and the effects of limited social support among older adults living with HIV are prominent and indicate a need for tailored interventions within the HIV care continuum for older adults living with HIV.
“…In China, the prevalence of depressive symptom was 74.2% among older PLWH [8], the rate is higher than that of their younger counterparts [8,[11][12][13], due to age-related reduction in immune responses, impaired physical function, reduced social support, or difficulties in coping with HIV-related stress [8,14]. Therefore, more attention should be given to this older PLWH [15][16][17].…”
Background: Mental health problems are common among older people living with HIV and associated with poorer health outcomes. Social capital is an important determinant of mental health problems but under-studied in this population. This study investigated the association between social capital and mental health problems among older people living with HIV in China. Methods: The study was based on the baseline data of a cohort study investigating mental health among older people living with HIV in Sichuan, China during November 2018 to February 2019. Participants were people living with HIV aged ≥50 years living in Sichuan province. Stratified multi-stage cluster sampling was used to recruit participants from 30 communities/towns; 529 out of 556 participants being approached completed the face-to-face interview. Social capital was measured by two validated health-related social capital scales: the Individual and Family scale and the Community and Society scale. Presence of probable depression (CES-D-10 score ≥ 10) and probable anxiety (GAD-7 score ≥ 5) were used as dependent variables. Two-level logistic regression models were applied to examine the association between social capital and probable depression/anxiety. Results: The prevalence of probable depression and probable anxiety was 25.9% (137/529) and 36.3% (192/529), respectively. After adjusting for significant covariates, the individual/family level of social capital was inversely associated with both probable depression (odds ratios (OR): 0.89, 95% CI: 0.84-0.93, p < 0.001) and probable anxiety (OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.86-0.95, p < 0.001). The community/society level social capital was associated with probable depression (OR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.84-0.99, p < 0.001) but not probable anxiety (p > 0.05).
“…Four participants did not fall neatly within our three core participant groups: one White bisexual woman and one Black African women of unknown sexual orientation, whose interviews and survey data we analysed, and one heterosexual man and one heterosexual woman of Black Caribbean heritage, whom we excluded from qualitative analysis while retaining their survey data, which are not shown here (for survey data analysis and findings, see Rosenfeld et al , 2015; Catalan et al ., 2017). We stopped recruiting after preliminary analysis achieved theoretical saturation (Charmaz, 2014).…”
Section: Methods and Samplementioning
confidence: 99%
“…As people living with HIV (PLWH) age following the introduction of effective antiretroviral therapy in 1996 (Sabin, 2013), which changed HIV from a typically fatal condition to a potentially long-term manageable one, research into the social dimensions of ageing with HIV is growing (Emlet, 2006 a , 2008; Wallach and Brotman, 2013; Nevedal and Sankar, 2015; Hutton, 2016; Furlotte and Schwartz, 2017; Catalan et al ., 2017; Wallace and Brotman, 2017). Much of this research documents the distinctive challenges that ageing introduces to the experience of living with HIV (within the HIV context, the term ‘older’ refers to those aged 50 and above; see e.g.…”
As the HIV population ages, how the ageing and HIV experiences intersect to shape the lives of older people living with HIV (PLWH) becomes an increasingly pressing question. This multi-method study investigated social support, mental health and quality of life among 100 older PLWH in the United Kingdom. Drawing on data from three focus groups and 74 life-history interviews with older (aged 50+) White men who have sex with men (MSM), and Black African and White heterosexual men and women, living with HIV, we explore participants’ distinctions between, evaluations of and access to sources of social support. Participants distinguished between support from the HIV-negative (Goffman's ‘the own’) and experientially based support from other PLWH (Goffman's ‘the wise’), and viewed the former, while valuable, as needing to be supplemented by the latter. Furthermore, access to experientially based support varied across participant groups, whose communities had different histories with HIV/AIDS and thus different degrees of knowledge about HIV and avenues for connecting to other PLWH. Thus, social support among older PLWH cannot be neatly divided into ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ domains, or fully appreciated by applying traditional social support measures, including, in the context of health conditions, ‘peer support’ created through formal service organisations. Rather, older PLWH's own distinctions and evaluations better illuminate the complexities of social support in the context of ageing with HIV.
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