P224 Loneliness Among Older Black and White People Living with HIV

Background Loneliness is a concern among older people living with HIV (PLWH), especially given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, there is little research characterizing loneliness and race. To investigate how HIV impacts older (age 50+) PLWH in the US, a study called Aging with Dignity, Health, Optimism and Community (ADHOC) was launched at ten sites to collect self-reported data. This study uses ADHOC data to compare loneliness between older Black and White PLWH. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was performed to compare loneliness between older Black and White PLWH. Loneliness was assessed using the Three-item Loneliness Scale, a validated patient-reported outcome measure (range 3–9), with higher scores indicating greater loneliness. Student’s t-test was used to compare loneliness between White and Black people. Control variables for loneliness were identified a priori and included in a multivariable linear regression model. Results Of 868 participants, the average age was 60 (SD 6.2) years, 77% (N=671) were White and 23% (N=197) were Black, 85% were male, and 82% were gay or lesbian. In bivariate analyses, Black participants were less lonely than White participants (5.2 vs 5.6, P=.02). In the multivariable linear regression analysis, Black participants were again less lonely than Whites (coef. -0.45, P=0.01) while controlling for age, education, depression, anxiety, number of co-morbid conditions, being single, income, gender, sexual orientation, and spirituality (Adjusted R2=0.38; P Conclusion Among PLWH over age 50 in ADHOC, Black participants experienced less loneliness than White participants, even after controlling for a variety of factors. Additional research is needed to better understand the causes of these racial differences, so that programs designed to decrease loneliness among PLWH can consider the unique characteristics of each group.