"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
en 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.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Envejecimiento
/
Infecciones por VIH
/
Entrevistas como Asunto
/
Grupos Focales
/
Investigación Cualitativa
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
AIDS Behav
/
AIDS and behavior
/
AIDS behav
Asunto de la revista:
CIENCIAS DO COMPORTAMENTO
/
SINDROME DA IMUNODEFICIENCIA ADQUIRIDA (AIDS)
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos