title: Healthy Aging in Older Women Living with HIV Infection: a Systematic Review of Psychosocial Factors.
abstract: Due to life-enhancing effects of antiretroviral therapy, HIV-positive persons have the potential for long life comparable to their uninfected peers. Older women (age 50+) living with HIV (OWLH) are often an under-recognized aging group. We conducted a systematic review to examine psychosocial factors that impact how OWLH live, cope, and age with HIV. Initial key word search yielded 1527 records, and 21 studies met our inclusion criteria of original quantitative or qualitative research published between 2013 and 2016 with results specific to OWLH. These focused on health care and self-management, sexual health and risk, stigma, loneliness, mental health (depression, substance use), and protective factors (coping, social support, well-being). Due to the scarcity of studies on each topic and inconclusive findings, no clear patterns of results emerged. As the number of OWLH continues to grow, more research, including longitudinal studies, is needed to fully characterize the psychosocial factors that impact aging with HIV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, USA. grubtso@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Anna A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Rubtsova
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing at University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1701 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
authors.forename: Mirjam-Colette
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kempf
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine/Special Treatment and Research (STAR) Program at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 1240, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Tonya N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N. State St., Jackson, MS, 39216, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Konkle-Parker
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, Room 937, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Gina M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Wingood
authors.affiliation: Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, 1520 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Marcia McDonnell
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Holstad
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
keywords: Elderly; HIV/AIDS; Healthcare utilization; Healthy aging; Mental health; Older adults; Older women; Protective factors; Psychosocial factors; Sexual health