Grant: Operating Grant - HIV/AIDS CBR Program - General

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC, 2013), gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) have remained the population most affected by HIV/AIDS in Canada since the early 1980s. Although the proportion of HIV cases among MSM 30-39 years old has been decreasing since 1994, the proportion of HIV infections among MSM aged 40 years and older have been increasing since the start of the epidemic. PHAC reports that most research on HIV/AIDS among MSM focuses on their vulnerability and that research on the resilience of MSM against HIV/AIDS is wanting. It also reports that although there are available studies on young MSM and resilience, there is a lack of research done on older MSM. This suggests that resilience of older MSM against HIV/AIDS represents an area that is under-researched. Scientific literature and historical accounts provide evidence of resilience among MSM, and there has been research undertaken that highlights the challenges and coping strategies of HIV+ older MSM. However, to date, there has been no research done to examine the resilience of both HIV+ and HIV- MSM aged 40 and older against HIV/AIDS. This is the aim of our project; specifically, to examine resources, strengths and protective factors they possess that prevent further HIV transmission and allow them to thrive in a society not ready to meet the needs of a growing number of older MSM and HIV long-term survivors. We plan to recruit and include MSM aged 40 and older from the community as peer researchers and members of our advisory board so that they can provide us input and feedback during all stages of the research process. After providing them appropriate training, our peer researchers will interview HIV+ and HIV- MSM 40 and older from Ontario to achieve our project's aim. Together, we will analyze our data and share the knowledge and lessons we learn to relevant research and MSM communities through public presentations and accessible print/online materials.