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Austin-Keiller A, Park M, Yang S, Mayo NE, Fellows LK, Brouillette MJ. "Alone, there is nobody": A qualitative study of the lived experience of loneliness in older men living with HIV. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0277399. [PMID: 37058482 PMCID: PMC10104292 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Loneliness has been shown to be a predictor of poor health and early mortality in the general population. Older men living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at heightened risk of experiencing loneliness. Here, we aim to describe the lived experience of loneliness in older men living with HIV and identify targets for intervention. We used grounded theory with a theoretical framework of narrative phenomenology to focus data collection and analysis on significant experiences related to loneliness. Based on individual narrative interviews with 10 older men living with HIV, experiences of loneliness related to "multiple losses," "being invisible" and "hiding out" as emergent themes. Participants also described living with loneliness by "finding meaning," "creating social experiences," "pursuing interests and things to 'live for'" and attending events in which "everyone is welcome." The discussion situates experiences of loneliness within the accumulation of losses and stigmas over time and how the participants strategies for living with loneliness could inform interventions to reduce loneliness in older men living with HIV at individual and societal levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Austin-Keiller
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Melissa Park
- School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, Integrated University Health and Social Services Centres-West Central Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Seiyan Yang
- Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, Integrated University Health and Social Services Centres-West Central Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nancy E. Mayo
- School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE), Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Lesley K. Fellows
- Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marie-Josée Brouillette
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Smith PH, Delgado H. Working With Non‐Death Losses in Counseling: An Overview of Grief Needs and Approaches. ADULTSPAN JOURNAL 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/adsp.12100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Heather Delgado
- Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and Counseling Auburn University
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