Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
Keywords
Intervention, social engagement, mental health, virtual community, HIV and aging, SDG 3: Good health and well-being
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2024.2329644
Abstract
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.
Rights Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
AIDS Care, v. 36, issue 8, p. 1102-1110
Scholar Commons Citation
Polonijo, Andrea N.; Nguyen, Annie L.; Greene, Karah Y.; Lopez, Jasmine L.; Yoo-Jeong, Moka; Ruiz, Erik L.; Christensen, Christopher; Galea, Jerome T.; and Browni, Brandon, "Brief Virtual Intervention Associated with Increased Social Engagement and Decreased Negative Affect Among People Aging with HIV" (2024). Social Work Faculty Publications. 284.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/sok_facpub/284
