"As I Grew Older, My Life Got Better": Conceptions of Successful Aging among Older Women Living with or at Risk of HIV.
AIDS Behav
; 28(5): 1581-1593, 2024 May.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38231362
ABSTRACT
Successful aging (SA) is an important target for HIV care. However, we have insufficient understanding of how older women living with HIV (OWLH) in the US define SA. We explored conceptions of SA by OWLH and older women at risk of HIV and examined whether SA conceptions differed by (1) HIV serostatus, and (2) participation in the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). These analyses were part of a larger mixed-methods study with a sequential design. Participants were recruited at two clinical WIHS sites. We enrolled both WIHS participants and non-WIHS clinic patients. Our sample was 84% Black and included 29 OWLH and 15 older women at risk of HIV. We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews and four focus groups. The dataset was analyzed using descriptive, comparative, and relational analysis. We found four interlinked themes life course perspective, accepting and celebrating aging, taking care of yourself, and looking good. The life course perspective was a core theme participants assessed their aging in comparison to their earlier life hardships. These themes were similarly present among OWLH and older women at risk of HIV, although OWLH emphasized taking care of HIV. SA conceptualizations by OWLH did not differ whether or not they participated in the WIHS. Women living with or at risk of HIV may experience severe hardships throughout their lives. Overcoming these hardships may be linked to SA. Assessing the needs and connecting women to resources and programs are critical for SA promotion.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Envelhecimento
/
Infecções por HIV
/
Entrevistas como Assunto
/
Grupos Focais
/
Pesquisa Qualitativa
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Aged
/
Female
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Humans
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
AIDS Behav
Assunto da revista:
CIENCIAS DO COMPORTAMENTO
/
SINDROME DA IMUNODEFICIENCIA ADQUIRIDA (AIDS)
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos