For persons living with HIV, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) may be threatened by physical and mental conditions but may be protected by positive psychological traits. We performed an exploratory look at the risk and protective factors for HRQOL in older adults living with HIV. Cross-sectional analyses of baseline data from the Rush Center of Excellence on Disparities in HIV and Aging (CEDHA), a community-based cohort of persons ages ≥50 living with HIV (n = 176) were performed. Analyses examined the relationship between risk/protective factors and two outcomes (i.e., self-reported health status [SRHS] and the healthy days index [HDI]). Having good/excellent health was associated with being a non-smoker (p = 0.002), greater purpose in life (p = 0.006), higher education (p = 0.007), fewer depressive symptoms (p = 0.004), fewer disabilities (p = 0.000), and less loneliness (p = 0.002) in bivariate analyses. Males (p = 0.03) and African Americans/Blacks (p = 0.03) reported higher HDI. Fewer depressive symptoms (p = 0.000), disabilities (p = 0.002), adverse life events (p = 0.0103), and loneliness (p = 0.000) were associated with higher HDI in bivariate analyses. In a logistic regression model, greater purpose in life, fewer disabilities, and being a non-smoker were associated with better SRHS after adjusting for covariates. For African Americans/Blacks, having fewer depressive symptoms and disabilities were associated with higher HDI after adjusting for covariates. Disabilities, depression, smoking status, race/ethnicity, and purpose in life were significantly associated with HRQOL. Findings support the need for research to examine the influence of cultural interpretations of life quality and focus on promoting physical function, smoking cessation, and psychological wellness in persons aging with HIV.
Keywords: Psychosocial; depressive symptoms; disabilities; self-rated health; well-being.