Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, 215 Franklin Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.
BMC Psychol. 2016 Sep 15;4(1):46. doi: 10.1186/s40359-016-0154-z.
Mental health outcomes among HIV-positive gay men are generally poorer than in the broader population. However, not all men in this population experience mental health problems. Although much is known about factors associated with depression and anxiety among HIV-positive gay men, little is known about factors associated with positive mental health. Such knowledge can be useful for optimizing well-being support programs for HIV-positive gay men.
In this study, we examined flourishing, which broadly covers most aspects of positive mental health. A sample of 357 Australian HIV-positive gay men completed a survey on their mental health and well-being, including the Flourishing Scale. Given the lack of previous research, we explored a wide range of psychosocial factors, including demographics, stigma, discrimination, and social support, to identify key factors linked to flourishing.
The sample showed a similar level of flourishing to those in general population samples. Several independent factors were found to be associated with flourishing outcomes. Those who were most likely to be flourishing tended to have low or no internalized HIV-related stigma, were employed, received higher levels of practical support, had a sense of companionship with others, and felt supported by family.
These and other findings presented in this article may be used to help inform strategies for promoting optimal levels of mental health, and its associated general health benefits, among HIV-positive gay men.
HIV 阳性男同性恋者的心理健康状况普遍不如一般人群。然而，并非该人群中的所有男性都存在心理健康问题。尽管人们已经了解了与 HIV 阳性男同性恋者抑郁和焦虑相关的许多因素，但对于与积极心理健康相关的因素知之甚少。这些知识对于优化针对 HIV 阳性男同性恋者的幸福感支持计划可能是有用的。
在这项研究中，我们研究了广泛涵盖积极心理健康大部分方面的“繁荣”。357 名澳大利亚 HIV 阳性男同性恋者完成了一项关于他们的心理健康和幸福感的调查，包括“繁荣量表”。鉴于之前研究的缺乏，我们探索了广泛的社会心理因素，包括人口统计学、污名、歧视和社会支持，以确定与繁荣相关的关键因素。
该样本显示出与一般人群样本相似的繁荣水平。发现了几个独立的因素与繁荣结果相关。最有可能繁荣的人往往具有低或无内化的 HIV 相关污名、有工作、获得更高水平的实际支持、与他人有陪伴感并感到得到家人的支持。
本文介绍的这些发现和其他发现可用于帮助制定促进 HIV 阳性男同性恋者心理健康和相关整体健康益处的最佳水平的策略。
