{
  "abstract": "Background As the population of people living with HIV aged ≥50 years increases, understanding aging in this context requires moving beyond epidemiological indicators to actively listening to lived experience. Focus groups represent a key qualitative methodology to explore collective meaning-making, shared narratives, and socially embedded experiences that may remain invisible in quantitative surveys. Within the Italian Ministerial Project ‘Healthy Aging in People with HIV’, conducted in collaboration between the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico di Modena and 12 national HIV community-based associations and stakeholder organizations, focus groups were implemented as an initial exploratory phase. The objective was to capture the voices of older PWH, identify emerging psychosocial and structural needs, and generate an empirically grounded framework to inform subsequent national survey development and policy-oriented interventions.Materials and Methods Eleven focus groups were conducted nationwide with over 80 participants aged ≥50 years. Seven groups included participants aged 50–64 years and four involved participants aged ≥65 years. The FG protocol, co-constructed community stakeholders, explored topics about aging perceptions, HIV treatment and adherence, comorbidity management, cognitive concerns, quality of life, housing, relationships and intimacy, interactions with healthcare professionals, and experiences with the welfare system. Recorded sessions were transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis via Atlas.ti software. A collaboratively developed codebook guided iterative coding, theme refinement, and interpretative synthesis. Findings were triangulated with existing literature.Results Seven themes were Aging with HIV intertwines clinical management of the virus and comorbidities with psychological well-being, as persistent internalized and structural stigma hinders healthcare engagement and self-perception. People shift from early survival focus to seeking stability, relationships, and meaning; while HIV feels manageable, multimorbidity, frailty, and cognitive decline dominate aging concerns. Antiretrovirals are life-saving yet burdensome, needing better communication; intimacy suffers from shrinking networks, disclosure fears, and scarce services, fostering isolation. Peer communities provide belonging amid fragmented medical-social support, while views on death evolve with age, health, and relationships.Conclusions These national qualitative findings demonstrate that aging with HIV in Italy is shaped by the interaction of biomedical, psychosocial, relational, and structural dimensions. Healthy aging cannot be reduced to viral suppression or comorbidity control, but requires integrated, person-centered models addressing stigma, intimacy, community belonging, and end-of-life dialogue. These findings informed a national ministerial survey and provide evidence for restructuring care pathways.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "LILA Nazionale Como Italy"
      ],
      "name": "G Giupponi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Milan Bicocca, Milan, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "A Castro"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "LILA Milano Italy"
      ],
      "name": "S Penon"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "LILA Bari Italy"
      ],
      "name": "M Giannelli"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "ASA Milan Italy"
      ],
      "name": "A Bianchi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "PLUS-rete Persone LGBT+ Bologna Italia"
      ],
      "name": "S Cecere"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "NPS Italia Milano Italia"
      ],
      "name": "N Policek"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Plus Roma Italy"
      ],
      "name": "E Marra"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "CICA Milano Italy"
      ],
      "name": "C Buellis"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy"
      ],
      "name": "G Guaraldi"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P15 From survival to meaning: stigma, multimorbidity and intimacy as core dimensions of aging with HIV in Italy",
  "uid": "ab43469f-71a1-52a9-80b6-e8ed515bf568"
}