scholarly journals Protective Factors That Foster Resilience to HIV/AIDS: Insights and Lived Experiences of Older Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men

Author(s):  
Renato M. Liboro ◽  
Tammy C. Yates ◽  
Sherry Bell ◽  
Brandon Ranuschio ◽  
George Da Silva ◽  
...  

Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) have been disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS health disparities. Research showed that resilience to HIV/AIDS is associated with increased use of relevant health services, lower sexual health risks, and improved mental health outcomes among racially and ethnically diverse gbMSM. As the subpopulation that has historically been impacted by HIV/AIDS the longest, older gbMSM living with HIV/AIDS have inarguably exhibited resilience to HIV/AIDS the most. The qualitative study described in this paper sought to identify and examine protective factors that fostered resilience to HIV/AIDS based on the insights and lived experiences of racially and ethnically diverse, older gbMSM. Applying a community-based participatory research approach that included the meaningful involvement of older gbMSM living with HIV/AIDS in different roles (i.e., advisory committee member, collaborator, peer researcher, and participant), the study recruited and included forty-one older gbMSM living with HIV/AIDS from Ontario, Canada, in confidential, semi-structured interviews. Utilizing thematic analysis, we identified three major themes from the participant interviews as factors that fostered the resilience of older gbMSM to HIV/AIDS and helped to address HIV/AIDS health disparities: (1) established protective factors, (2) behavioral protective factors, and (3) controversial protective factors. This paper argues for the importance of valuing and capitalizing on these protective factors in the conceptualization and development of interventions, services, and programs that are dedicated to fostering resilience to HIV/AIDS.

Author(s):  
Renato M. Liboro ◽  
Sherry Bell ◽  
Brandon Ranuschio ◽  
Lianne Barnes ◽  
Jenna Despres ◽  
...  

Evidence-based research has highlighted the need for exploring factors that support the mental health of men who have sex with men living with HIV/AIDS (MSMLWH), and environmental influences that promote their resilience to HIV/AIDS. This exploratory study utilized a community-based participatory research approach to investigate barriers and facilitators to promoting resilience to HIV/AIDS, specifically among racial and ethnic minority, middle-aged and older MSMLWH, a population that continues to be significantly impacted by HIV/AIDS today. This collaborative, qualitative study recruited participants who identified as racial or ethnic minority MSMLWH, were aged 40 or older, and resided in Ontario, Canada. Participants (n = 24) discussed in their interviews barriers and facilitators to promoting resilience to HIV/AIDS, which they recognized from their lived experiences. Utilizing thematic analysis, themes related to barriers and facilitators to promoting resilience to HIV/AIDS were identified. Themes related to identified barriers included: (1) language proficiency, (2) racism, (3) pernicious norms in North American gay culture, and (4) HIV stigma. Themes related to identified facilitators included: (1) compartmentalization, (2) perseverance, and (3) community-based health and social services. This article discusses the implications of the study’s findings, particularly on how they may influence the development of future services for racial and ethnic minority, middle-aged and older MSMLWH.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 1087-1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Pickles ◽  
Sheryl de Lacey ◽  
Lindy King

Background: Studies have established that negative perceptions of people living with HIV/AIDS exist among nursing students throughout the world, perceptions which can be detrimental to the delivery of high-quality nursing care. Objectives: The purpose of this research was to explore socio-cultural influences on the perceptions of nursing students towards caring for people living with HIV/AIDS. Research design: The study was guided by stigma theory, a qualitative descriptive research approach was adopted. Data collected via semi-structured interviews were thematically analysed. Participants and research context: Participants were 21 international and Australian undergraduate nursing students enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing programme at an Australian university. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval was granted by the Social and Behavioural Research Ethics Committee at the study university. Participation was entirely voluntary; informed consent was obtained before the study commenced; confidentiality and anonymity were assured. Findings: Three major themes were found: blame, othering and values. Complex and interrelated factors constructed participant perceptions of people living with HIV/AIDS, perceptions underscored by the prevailing culturally construed blame and othering associated with HIV/AIDS. The study found discordance between the negative personal beliefs and perceptions some nursing students have towards people living with HIV/AIDS, and the professional values expected of them as Registered Nurses. Discussion: There was considerable commonality between this and previous studies on how homosexuality and illicit drug use were perceived and stigmatised, correlating with the blame directed towards people living with HIV/AIDS. These perceptions indicated some nursing students potentially risked not fulfilling the ethical and professional obligations the Registered Nurse. Conclusion: Nursing curriculum should be strengthened in relation to comprehending the meaning of being stigmatised by society. Educational institutions need to work towards enhancing strategies that assist nursing students to reconcile any incongruity between their personal beliefs and requisite professional nursing values.


Author(s):  
Chia-Hui Yu ◽  
Chu-Yu Huang ◽  
Nai-Ying Ko ◽  
Heng-Hsin Tung ◽  
Hui-Man Huang ◽  
...  

People living with HIV (PLWH) face social stigma which makes disclosure of HIV status difficult. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to understand the lived experiences of stigmatization in the process of disease disclosure among PLWH in Taiwan. Analysis of the semi-structured interviews from 19 PLWH in Taiwan revealed two phases and six themes. Phase one “experiences before disclosure” involved three themes: “Struggles under the pressure of concealing the HIV Status,” “Torn between fear of unemployment/isolation and desire to protect closed ones,” and “Being forced to disclose the HIV status.” Phase two “experiences after disclosure” included three themes: “Receiving special considerations and requirements from school or work,” “Receiving differential treatments in life and when seeking medical care,” and “Stress relief and restart.” Healthcare professionals need to assess stigmatization in PLWH and develop individualized approaches to assist with the disease disclosure process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 672-672
Author(s):  
Ernest Gonzales ◽  
Cliff Whetung ◽  
Jane Lee ◽  
Yi Wang

Abstract Cognitive impairment is a worldwide epidemic. Informed by NIA’s Health Disparities Framework, this study investigated interpersonal, behavioral, and sociocultural risk and protective factors associated with cognitive health trajectories. Mixed models examined factors associated with cognitive health with data from the Health and Retirement Study among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics (2008-2014, N=4,511). A majority of respondents who experienced everyday discrimination attributed it to ageism among this racially and ethnically diverse sample. Stratified mixed models of everyday discrimination by attribution (racism or ageism) revealed worse cognitive functioning. Major lifetime discrimination was not statistically associated with cognitive functioning. Economic factors (education, income, assets) and religious activity protected cognitive functioning and were particularly salient for Blacks and Hispanics. Strategies that bolster individual resilience as well as social policies that address discrimination and structural inequities will likely reduce health disparities and improve population health.


2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Siqueira Julio ◽  
Ruth Khalili Friedman ◽  
Cynthia B. Cunha ◽  
Raquel Brandini De Boni ◽  
Sandra Wagner Cardoso ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Lisa Baumgartner

Individuals experience disease in a variety of contexts. In this study, I examined how the temporal context (e.g., historical time, social time, chronological age and the passage of time) affected the incorporation of the HIV/AIDS identity into the self. I used semi structured interviews to collect data from 36 individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Historical time did little to influence the initial reaction to the diagnosis. Chronological age shaped the initial reaction to the diagnosis for some participants. Social time affected immersion in the HIV/AIDS community and the passage of time influenced the integration of the HIV/AIDS identity into the self. The findings add depth to extant studies on the incorporation of the HIV/AIDS identity into the self.


2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 0229-0235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rúbia Aguiar Alencar ◽  
Suely Itsuko Ciosak

OBJECTIVE To identify vulnerabilities of elderly people with HIV/AIDS and the trajectory that they follow until reaching the diagnosis of the disease. METHOD Qualitative research conducted in specialized clinics in the state of São Paulo, from January to June 2011. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 elderly people who were found to be infected with the virus at the age of 60 years or older. The interviews were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS In this process four categories emerged, then analyzed with reference to the theoretical framework of vulnerability. CONCLUSION Late diagnosis of HIV infection or AIDS among the elderly happens in the secondary or tertiary service. Issues related to sexual life of the elderly are only questioned by health professionals after the diagnosis, also the time that condom use becomes absolute. It is believed that the investigation of the vulnerability of the elderly to HIV/AIDS allows for carrying out appropriate interventions for this population.


Author(s):  
Aline Daiane Colaço ◽  
Betina Hörner Schlindwein Meirelles ◽  
Ivonete Teresinha Schülter Buss Heidemann ◽  
Mariana Vieira Villarinho

ABSTRACT Objective: to understand the process of caring for the person with HIV/AIDS in the Primary Health Care of a capital in southern Brazil. Method: qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research, carried out in the Health Centers of this city, from March to August 2015. Sixteen nurses participated through semi-structured interviews, which were organized and codified with the help of the software QSR Nvivo®, version 10. Afterwards, the data were analyzed through comparative analysis. Results: results were described in two categories: “The inter-subjective encounter given the vulnerability to HIV/AIDS”, and, “Accepting needs and formulating actions given the reality”. Potentialities and weaknesses were evidenced through these categories, such as: reception, long-term care, active search, home visits, and, in return, lacking a formal flow of care for people living with HIV/ AIDS, lack of HIV/AIDS line of care and medical/centered care. Conclusion: the need to implement HIV/AIDS management in primary care was verified, as well as to overcome the fragilities in this care with the aid of implementing a formal care flow, establishing managerial processes and permanent education for the professionals. Then, expanding and qualifying care in HIV/AIDS, with important contributions of the nurse in the perspective of integral care in the process of living with HIV/AIDS.


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