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Lifetime Experiences of Housing Insecurity among Gay Men Living with HIV at Midlife: An Exploratory Study Utilizing a Social Determinants of Health Perspective

Authors :
Renato M. Liboro
Sherry Bell
Jason Flatt
Jennifer Pharr
Brandon Ranuschio
Lianne Barnes
Andrea Navarro
Alexander Ribeiro
Nadia Sheik-Yosef
John M. Waldron
Source :
Social Sciences, Vol 13, Iss 8, p 420 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Understanding the socioecological contexts of gay men living with HIV is critical to addressing the environmental conditions that influence their lifetime experiences of housing insecurity and homelessness. In line with the strategies of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention to end the HIV epidemic, it is of utmost importance to recognize how the allocation of available resources impacts health inequities affecting gay men living with HIV who experience housing insecurity and homelessness. Drawing from the World Health Organization’s social determinants of health (SDoH) framework, we used an exploratory, community-based research (CBR) approach to examine the lifetime experiences and important sources of support of gay men living with HIV at midlife who have experienced housing insecurity in Southern Nevada. Thematic analysis of our semi-structured interviews with 12 gay men living with HIV at midlife revealed three overarching themes: (1) challenges to obtaining housing and related support, (2) informal support from friends, and (3) formal support from community-based sources employing diverse support strategies. In this article, we discuss the different sub-themes we identified under these overarching themes and the implications of our findings from an SDoH perspective. We conclude with a discussion on the dire need to (1) highlight the considerable value of both informal and formal sources of support for the housing insecure, and (2) generate recommendations for interventions to address housing insecurity and homelessness with greater consideration for the impacts of SDoH in the work dedicated to helping gay men living with HIV at midlife overcome housing insecurity as they age.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20760760
Volume :
13
Issue :
8
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Social Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.737ed30128043c9b042cbf7e3b15e94
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080420