Mental Health, Social Connectedness, and Fear During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Perspective from Older Women with HIV.
AIDS Behav
; 27(7): 2176-2189, 2023 Jul.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-20243254
ABSTRACT
Older women with HIV (WWH) confront significant biopsychosocial challenges that may be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Between May 2020 and April 2021, following a resiliency intervention conducted as part of a randomized parent trial, 24 cisgender WWH (M = 58 years old) completed quantitative assessments and qualitative interviews exploring the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. Qualitative data were analyzed via rapid analysis. Most participants were Black (62.5%) and non-Hispanic or Latina (87.5%). Emergent themes included (1) increased anxiety and depression; (2) a loss of social connectedness; (3) fear of unknown interactions among COVID-19, HIV, and other comorbidities; and (4) the use of largely adaptive strategies to cope with these issues. Findings suggest that older WWH face significant COVID-19-related mental health challenges, compounding existing stressors. As the pandemic persists, it will be important to assess the impact of these stressors on wellbeing, identify effective coping strategies, and provide increased support to mitigate COVID-19-related mental health issues over time. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03071887.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
HIV Infections
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
AIDS Behav
Journal subject:
Behavioral Sciences
/
SINDROME DA IMUNODEFICIENCIA ADQUIRIDA (AIDS)
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S10461-022-03950-9
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