Older, self-identifying gay men's conceptualisations of psychological well-being (PWB): A Canadian perspective

Many older gay men experience diminished psychological well-being (PWB) due to unique circumstances including discrimination, living with HIV, and aging through the HIV/AIDS crisis. However, there remains ambiguity as to how older gay men define and understand PWB. Our team interviewed and analyzed...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Handlovsky, Ingrid (Author) ; Wonsiak, Tessa (Author) ; Amato, Anthony T. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell 2024
In: Nursing philosophy
Year: 2024, Volume: 25, Issue: 1
Further subjects:B Well-being
B Discrimination
B constructivist grounded theory
B Intersectionality
B health providers
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Summary:Many older gay men experience diminished psychological well-being (PWB) due to unique circumstances including discrimination, living with HIV, and aging through the HIV/AIDS crisis. However, there remains ambiguity as to how older gay men define and understand PWB. Our team interviewed and analyzed the accounts of 26 older (50+) self-identifying English-speaking men living in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. We drew on tenets of constructivist grounded theory and intersectionality to account for unique contextual considerations and power relations. Semi-structured Zoom interviews were conducted from August-October 2022. Interview transcripts were compared to generate high-order conceptual findings underpinned by processes understood as central to PWB. Three PWB temporal processes highlighted interlocking social and contextual circumstances intersecting with power and maturation: (1) being emotionally balanced, (2) living gratitude (3) and fully embracing self-acceptance. Being emotionally balanced supported the affective and sustainable state of contentment, living gratitude drew from the wisdom of accrued experiences to cultivate a positive affective state inclusive to recognising social location privileges, whilst fully embracing self-acceptance redressed the harms of anti-gay discourses that men endured throughout their lives. The knowledge is relevant to service and resource development to deliver tailored PWB supports to older gay men.
ISSN:1466-769X
Contains:Enthalten in: Nursing philosophy
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/nup.12466