| Autor: |
Polonijo AN; Department of Sociology and the Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California, Merced, California, USA., Nguyen AL; Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA., Greene KY; College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, School of Social Work, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA., Lopez JL; Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA., Yoo-Jeong M; School of Nursing, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA., Ruiz EL; College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA., Christensen C; HIV + Aging Research Project-Palm Springs, Palm Springs, California, USA., Galea JT; College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, School of Social Work, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.; Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA., Brown B; Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, California, USA. |
| Abstrakt: |
Virtual Villages-online communities that deliver supports to promote aging in place-are proposed to mitigate isolation and support the health of aging populations. Using a community-engaged approach, we developed and pilot-tested a Virtual Village intervention tailored for people living with HIV (PLWH) aged 50+ . The intervention employed a Discord server featuring social interaction, regional and national resources, expert presentations, and mindful meditation exercises. In 2022, a sample of PLWH aged 50+ from three U.S. study sites participated in a four-week pilot. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed participants' demographic characteristics; degree of loneliness, social connectedness, HIV-related stigma, and technology acceptance; mental wellbeing and physical health outcomes; and user experience. Participants (N = 20) were socioeconomically and racially/ethnically diverse, aged 51-88 years, and predominantly identified as gay or bisexual men (75%). Paired t- tests revealed a significant increase in participants' mean social engagement scores and a significant decrease in participants' mean negative affect scores, following the intervention. User experience scores were acceptable and participants reported a positive sense of connectedness to the Virtual Village community. Results suggest that a virtual community can be accessible to older PLWH and may enhance social engagement and improve aspects of mental wellbeing. |
