Living strategies for disability in men ageing with HIV in Ontario, Canada: a longitudinal qualitative study

Objectives To examine the living strategies used by older men living with HIV to deal with the episodic nature of disability and associated uncertainty, over time.Design Qualitative longitudinal study in which men living with HIV were interviewed on four occasions over 20 months.Setting Men were rec...

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Main Authors: Kelly K O'Brien, Patricia Solomon, Rebecca McGuff, Michelle Sankey
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2019-08-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/8/e031262.full
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author Kelly K O'Brien
Patricia Solomon
Rebecca McGuff
Michelle Sankey
author_facet Kelly K O'Brien
Patricia Solomon
Rebecca McGuff
Michelle Sankey
author_sort Kelly K O'Brien
collection DOAJ
description Objectives To examine the living strategies used by older men living with HIV to deal with the episodic nature of disability and associated uncertainty, over time.Design Qualitative longitudinal study in which men living with HIV were interviewed on four occasions over 20 months.Setting Men were recruited from HIV community organisations in Canada.Participants 14 men with a median age of 57.5 years and median time since diagnosis of 21.5 years.Results Five themes depict the living strategies used to deal with the episodic nature of disability and uncertainty over time. Actively engaging in problem-solving by prioritising and modifying activities and avoiding stress, advocating for support, being positive and future oriented, engaging in healthy pursuits and providing social support to others helped men to mitigate their disability. By following participants over time, we were able to gather insights into triggers of episodes of disability, and perceptions of the success of implementing their living strategies and avoiding uncertainty.Conclusions Participants used living strategies to deal with uncertainty and mitigate episodes of disability over time. This study supports the importance of programmes that promote self-management for older men living with HIV through helping them identify triggers of disability, set realistic goals and problem-solve. These may help build self-efficacy, increase sense of control, and decrease feelings of uncertainty and episodes of disability.
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spelling doaj-art-1f64c8f3690f4e2ba8cd6cea5edc4e912024-11-27T02:40:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552019-08-019810.1136/bmjopen-2019-031262Living strategies for disability in men ageing with HIV in Ontario, Canada: a longitudinal qualitative studyKelly K O'Brien0Patricia Solomon1Rebecca McGuff2Michelle Sankey31 Department of Physical Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaSchool of Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada1 School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada1 School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario, CanadaObjectives To examine the living strategies used by older men living with HIV to deal with the episodic nature of disability and associated uncertainty, over time.Design Qualitative longitudinal study in which men living with HIV were interviewed on four occasions over 20 months.Setting Men were recruited from HIV community organisations in Canada.Participants 14 men with a median age of 57.5 years and median time since diagnosis of 21.5 years.Results Five themes depict the living strategies used to deal with the episodic nature of disability and uncertainty over time. Actively engaging in problem-solving by prioritising and modifying activities and avoiding stress, advocating for support, being positive and future oriented, engaging in healthy pursuits and providing social support to others helped men to mitigate their disability. By following participants over time, we were able to gather insights into triggers of episodes of disability, and perceptions of the success of implementing their living strategies and avoiding uncertainty.Conclusions Participants used living strategies to deal with uncertainty and mitigate episodes of disability over time. This study supports the importance of programmes that promote self-management for older men living with HIV through helping them identify triggers of disability, set realistic goals and problem-solve. These may help build self-efficacy, increase sense of control, and decrease feelings of uncertainty and episodes of disability.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/8/e031262.full
spellingShingle Kelly K O'Brien
Patricia Solomon
Rebecca McGuff
Michelle Sankey
Living strategies for disability in men ageing with HIV in Ontario, Canada: a longitudinal qualitative study
BMJ Open
title Living strategies for disability in men ageing with HIV in Ontario, Canada: a longitudinal qualitative study
title_full Living strategies for disability in men ageing with HIV in Ontario, Canada: a longitudinal qualitative study
title_fullStr Living strategies for disability in men ageing with HIV in Ontario, Canada: a longitudinal qualitative study
title_full_unstemmed Living strategies for disability in men ageing with HIV in Ontario, Canada: a longitudinal qualitative study
title_short Living strategies for disability in men ageing with HIV in Ontario, Canada: a longitudinal qualitative study
title_sort living strategies for disability in men ageing with hiv in ontario canada a longitudinal qualitative study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/8/e031262.full
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