Watson Ryan J, McCauley Peter S, Taylor Amanda, Morgan Ethan, Jacka Brendan, Eaton Lisa A
Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
AIDS Behav. 2025 May;29(5):1569-1579. doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-04627-9. Epub 2025 Jan 24.
Healthy aging is an important area of research across many populations, but less work has focused on this area among sexual and gender diverse individuals relative to the general population. On the whole, it is known that as the U.S. population ages, increasing attention is needed to understand the intersections between aging, health, and wellbeing. One area of consideration to address in regard to healthy aging is that of HIV prevention, in particular, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use. For the current study we assessed these factors in a cross-sectional survey designed to assess disease status and related risk factors among a sample of individuals ≥ 50 years of age (N = 794, M = 58.5, range = 50-88) who resided in a metropolitan area in Ohio, USA. Results demonstrated that as overall age increased, general aging concerns decreased. Although HIV status was not related to general aging concerns, in additional models, lifetime PrEP use and six-month PrEP use were both related to greater aging concerns. When evaluating sexual orientation-specific aging concerns, we noted the opposite direction in terms of its relationship with age; as these concerns increased so did age. Further, cisgender women, transgender women, transgender men, and those identifying with a different identity each reported greater sexual orientation related aging concerns compared with cisgender men. Based on the current findings, additional research is needed to more fully understand aging related concerns for older individuals who identify as sexual orientation diverse.
健康老龄化是许多人群中一个重要的研究领域，但相对于普通人群，针对性取向和性别多样化个体在这一领域的研究较少。总体而言，随着美国人口老龄化，需要越来越多地关注理解衰老、健康和幸福之间的交叉关系。在健康老龄化方面需要考虑的一个领域是艾滋病毒预防，特别是暴露前预防（PrEP）的使用。在本项研究中，我们在一项横断面调查中评估了这些因素，该调查旨在评估居住在美国俄亥俄州一个大都市地区、年龄≥50岁（N = 794，M = 58.5，范围 = 50 - 88）的个体样本中的疾病状况和相关风险因素。结果表明，随着总体年龄的增加，对一般衰老的担忧减少。虽然艾滋病毒感染状况与对一般衰老的担忧无关，但在其他模型中，终身使用PrEP和六个月使用PrEP均与更大的衰老担忧有关。在评估针对性取向的衰老担忧时，我们注意到其与年龄关系的方向相反；随着这些担忧的增加，年龄也增加。此外，与顺性别男性相比，顺性别女性、跨性别女性、跨性别男性以及认同不同身份的人都报告了与性取向相关的更大的衰老担忧。基于目前的研究结果，需要进一步开展研究，以更全面地了解性取向多样化的老年个体与衰老相关的担忧。
