Abstract
BackgroundMental 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.MethodsIn 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.ResultsThe 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.ConclusionsThese 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.
Highlights
Mental health outcomes among Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive gay men are generally poorer than in the broader population
HIV/AIDS organizations in many countries seek to promote well-being and quality of life among people living with HIV (PLHIV)
We focus on what positive psychologists refer to as flourishing, which broadly covers most aspects of positive mental health [13,14,15]
Summary
Respondents A national survey on the well-being of PLHIV was completed by 402 HIV-positive Australian residents aged 18 years or older. Survey measures The survey items examined in this study included: Outcome variable. A focus on stigma and discrimination was included because previous studies have shown that stigma, whether related to HIV or sexuality, can have a powerful impact on the lives of HIVpositive gay men [24, 29]. Participants were recruited via study advertisements which were distributed across multiple platforms targeting PLHIV between August and December 2014 These included Facebook, the Facebook page of The Institute of Many (a rapidly growing online community of PLHIV), Grindr (a popular dating app for gay and bisexual men), HIV organizations, and a large database of PLHIV who had participated in previous studies conducted by La Trobe University and had given their permission to be notified about future research. All associations were treated as significant at p < 0.05 and all analyses were conducted using Stata Version 14 (StataCorp, College Station, TX)
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