Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: May 9, 2024
Date Accepted: Sep 9, 2024
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Adaptation of United Voices, a Group-Singing Intervention to Address Loneliness and Social Isolation for Older People with HIV during COVID-19: A Qualitative Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
People living with HIV (PLWH) experience HIV stigma alongside a spectrum of aging-related health conditions that accelerate their vulnerability to the ill effects of loneliness and social isolation. Group singing interventions are efficacious in improving psychosocial well-being among older people and access to such programs may be enhanced by technology.
Objective:
The key objective of this study is to describe the development of a group-singing intervention designed to promote psychosocial well-being among older PLWH by reducing loneliness and social isolation during the acute COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
We followed the rigorous eight-stage community-participatory intervention adaptation process outlined in the Assessment, Decision, Adaptation, Production, Topical Experts, Integration, Training, Testing (ADAPT-ITT) framework. We conducted a formative assessment, selected an evidence-based intervention, administered the intervention to a community advisory council, produced and refined the intervention components and manual in consultation with experts, and implemented a pilot randomized control trial.
Results:
The resulting group-singing intervention featured twelve weekly online choir rehearsals, virtual “drop-in helpdesk” sessions, and a professionally produced final concert recording.
Conclusions:
Findings provide insights into the barriers and facilitators involved in culturally tailoring interventions for older PLWH, implementing intervention adaptation within virtual environments, and the promise of developing online music-based interventions for older adults.
Citation
