{
  "abstract": "Background The progressive ageing of people living with HIV (PWH) represents one of the major transformations of the epidemic in Italy. However, national data integrating quality of life, psychosocial wellbeing, stigma, intimacy, and satisfaction with health and welfare systems remain limited. The Ministerial Project ‘Healthy Aging in People with HIV’ aimed to map, at a national level, the multidimensional needs of PWH aged ≥50 years and to operationalize the concept of healthy aging.Materials and Methods This study reports the results of the Italian Ministerial Project ‘Healthy Aging in People with HIV’, conducted in collaboration between the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico di Modena and 12 Italian HIV community-based associations.In February 2026, a national quali-quantitative survey was administered via Qualtrics to PWH aged ≥50 years across Italy. All individuals aged ≥50 years were eligible. Participants were stratified into two age groups: 50–64 years and ≥65 years.The survey was developed from prior focus groups and included validated instruments assessing: health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), attitudes toward aging, loneliness, HIV-related stigma, satisfaction with healthcare services and welfare systems, affective/sexual satisfaction, housing preferences, and bio-psycho-social-legal needs.Results The sample included N= 472 (139 women, 331 men, 2 non-binary; mean age 59.3±8 years; mean duration of HIV infection 23.9±12 years) people.Participants aged ≥65 years reported significantly lower health-related quality of life compared to those aged 50–64 and were more likely to perceive aging as a ‘time of loss’.Loneliness showed a strong positive association with perceiving aging as loss and a negative association with perceiving aging as growth (R2=−0.23, p<0.001) or change. Longer duration of HIV infection was modestly associated with both perceiving aging as loss and growth, suggesting a complex adaptation trajectory.Regarding intimacy, affective satisfaction was reported more frequently than sexual satisfaction (52.2% vs 41%). Difficulties in finding sexual partners were reported by 34.2% of participants, while 27.8% reported difficulties in establishing emotional relationships. Only 30.2% felt comfortable disclosing their HIV status to partners and 32.3% felt at ease in intimate communication. Nearly one-third reported having reduced or avoided emotional (29%) and/or sexual (25%) relationships.Conclusions This first national mapping of psychosocial and relational needs among older PWH in Italy highlights loneliness, stigma, and intimacy challenges as key determinants of healthy aging. In the HIV context, healthy aging emerges as a multidimensional construct integrating physical health, psychological wellbeing, relational fulfillment, and system-level support. These findings provide an evidence base to inform person-centered care models, community empowerment strategies, and tailored policy reforms.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "A Castro"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "LILA Como, Como, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "G Giupponi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "CICA Milano, Milano, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "P Meli"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Circolo di Cultura Omosessuale Mario Mieli, Roma, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "M Farinella"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "NADIR, Roma, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "F Von Schloesser"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Arcobaleno Aids, Torino, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "S Patrucco"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Fondazione Villa Maraini, Roma, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "D Masci"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "CNCA, Roma, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "M Stagnitta"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "ASA, Milano, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "M Cernuschi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Anlaids, Roma, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "L Butini"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "NPS Italia, Milano, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "A Moznich"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Plus-rete Persone LGBT+ Sieropositive, Bologna, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "S Cecere"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "CDCP, Trieste, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "H Gebdo"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "G Guaraldi"
    }
  ],
  "title": "OC2 Mapping of psychosocial and relational determinants of healthy aging in people living with HIV: the Italian healthy aging survey",
  "uid": "28996d38-9bd6-50f9-9a52-014cd94ef5a4"
}