Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Religiousness, Spirituality, and Well-Being Among HIV Positive Gay Men

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Understanding Prevention for HIV Positive Gay Men

Abstract

HIV positive gay men have had both positive and negative experiences in regard to organized religion. Religiousness and spirituality have both been shown to be positively associated with the physical and mental health of people living with HIV and AIDS. However, given the negative religious discourse that religious institutions often disseminate, many HIV positive gay men have made a conscious decision to no longer engage in organized religion. Given the relationship between religiousness, spirituality, and well-being, it is imperative that we explore the ways in which faith-based communities can be instrumental in our efforts to fight against the HIV epidemic. In this chapter, we seek to (1) explore current definitions of religiousness and spirituality; (2) discuss the positive influences of religiousness and spirituality on physical and mental health of people living with HIV; (3) examine the potential negative impact of organized religion in the lives of HIV positive gay men; and (4) assess the ways in which religiousness and spirituality can be and have been utilized in HIV prevention efforts. Limitations of the current research as well as recommendations for future research and health promotion interventions for HIV positive gay men are also discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Throughout this chapter, we refer to the specific religious and spiritual constructs as they are operationalized in the research literature.

References

  • Arnett, J. (2004). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties. Oxford: New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bangsberg, D. R., Moss, A. R., & Deeks, S. G. (2004). Paradoxes of adherence and drug resistance to HIV antiretroviral therapy. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 53, 696–699. doi:10.1093/jac/dkh162

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bangsberg, D. R., Perry, S., Charlebois, E. D., Clark, R. A., Roberston, M., Zolopa, A. R., & Moss, A. (2001). Non-adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy predicts progression to AIDS. AIDS, 15, 1181–1183.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boellstorff, T. (2005). Between religion and desire: Being Muslim and gay in Indonesia. American Anthropologist, 107, 575–585. doi:10.1525/aa.2005.107.4.575

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, M., Dzelme, K., Harris, D., & Hecker, L. (2001). Challenges of being simultaneously gay or lesbian and spiritual and/or religious: A narrative perspective. American Journal of Family Therapy, 29, 435–449. doi:10.1080/01926180127629

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carrico, A. W., Ironson, G., Antoni, M. H., Lechner, S. C., Duran, R. E., Kumar, M., & Schneiderman, N. (2006). A path model of the effects of spirituality on depressive symptoms and 24-h urinary-free cortisol in HIV-positive persons. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 61, 51–58. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2006.04.005

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Center for Disease Control. (2007, July). HIV and AIDS: Are you at risk? Retrieved June 11, 2013 from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/brochures/pdf/at-risk.pdf.

  • Center for Disease Control. (2013, January. Background brief on the prevention benefits of HIV treatment. Retrieved June 15, 2013 from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/prevention_tap_benefits_of_HIV_treatement.pdf.

  • Cotton, S., Puchalski, C. M., Sherman, S. N., Mrus, J. M., Peterman, A. H., Feinberg, J., … Tsevat, J. (2006). Spirituality and religion in patients with HIV/AIDS. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21, S5–S13. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00642.x

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cotton, S., Tsevat, J., Szaflarski, M., Kudel, I., Sherman, S. N., Feinberg, J., … Holmes, W. C. (2006). Changes in religiousness and spirituality attributed to HIV/AIDS: Are there sex and races differences? Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21, S14–S20. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00641.x

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Coyle, A., & Rafalin, D. (2000). Jewish gay men’s accounts of negotiating cultural, religious, and sexual identity: A qualitative study. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 12, 21–48. doi:10.1300/J056v12n04_02

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, S. D., Kerrigan, D. L., McNeely, C. A., & Ellen, J. M. (2011). The role of structure versus individual agency in churches’ responses to HIV/AIDS: A case study of Baltimore City churches. Journal of Religion and Health, 50, 407–421. doi:10.1007/s10943-009-9281-7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Doolittle, B. R., Justice, A. C., & Fiellin, D. A. (2016). Religion, spirituality, and HIV clinical outcomes: A systematic review of the literature. AIDS and Behavior. doi:10.1007/s10461-016-1651-z

  • Ellison, C. G. (1991). Religious involvement and subjective well-being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 32, 80–99. doi:10.2307/2136801

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Emmons, R. (1999). The psychology of ultimate concerns. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Etergoff, C. (2017). Petitioning for social change: Letters to religious leaders from gay men and their family allies. Journal of Homosexuality, 64, 166–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fetzer Institute & National Institute on Aging (NIA) Working Group. (2003). Multidimensional measurement of religiousness/spirituality for use in health research: A report of the Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging working group. Kalamazoo, MI: Fetzer Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster, M. L., Arnold, E., Rebchook, G., & Kegeles, S. M. (2011). ‘It’s my inner strength’: Spirituality, religion and HIV in the lives of young African American men who have sex with men. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 13, 1103–1117. doi:10.1080/13691058.2011.600460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frame, M. W., Uphold, C. R., Shehan, C. L., & Reid, K. J. (2005). Effects of spirituality on health-related quality of life in men with HIV/AIDS: Implications for counseling. Counseling and Values, 50, 5–19. doi:10.1002/j.2161-007X.2005.tb00037.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis, S. A., & Liverpool, J. (2009). A review of faith-based HIV prevention programs. Journal of Religion and Health, 48, 6–15. doi:10.1007/s10943-008-9171-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frenk, S. M., & Chaves, M. (2012). Proportion of US congregations that have people living with HIV. Journal of Religion and Health, 51, 371–380. doi:10.1007/s10943-010-9379-y

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fullilove, M., & Fullilove, R. (1999). Stigma as an obstacle to AIDS action: The case of the African American community. American Behavioral Scientist, 42, 1117–1129. doi:10.1177/00027649921954796

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garrett-Walker, J. J., & Torres, V. (2016). Personal and social consequences of negative religious rhetoric in the lives of Black gay and bisexual emerging adult men. Journal of Homosexuality. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2016.1267465

  • Golub, S. A., Walker, J. J., Longmire-Avital, B., Bimbi, D. S., & Parsons, J. T. (2010). The role of religiosity, social support, and stress-related growth in protecting against HIV risk among transgender women. Journal of Health Psychology, 15, 1135–1144. doi:10.1177/1359105310364169

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin, H. (2006). Their own receive them not: African American lesbian and gays in black churches. Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hampton, M. C., Halkitis, P. N., & Mattis, J. S. (2010). Coping, drug use, and religiosity/spirituality in relation to HIV serostatus among gay and bisexual men. AIDS Education & Prevention, 22, 417–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, P. C., & Pargament, K. I. (2008). Advances in the conceptualization and measurement of religion and spirituality: Implications for physical and mental health research. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, S, 3–17. doi:10.1037/1941-1022.S.1.3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, W. A., & McNeely, C. (2013). HIV/AIDS disparity between African-American and Caucasian men who have sex with men: Intervention strategies for the black church. Journal of Religion and Health, 52, 475–487. doi:10.1007/s10943-011-9496-2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ickovics, J. R., Hamburger, M. E., Vlahov, D., Schoenbaum, E. E., Schuman, P., Boland, R. J., & Moore, J. (2001). Mortality, CD4 cell count decline, and depressive symptoms among HIV-seropositive women: Longitudinal analysis from the HIV epidemiology research study. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 1466–1474. doi:10.1001/jama.285.11.1466

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ironson, G., Kremer, H., & Lucette, A. (2016). Relationship between spiritual coping and survival in patients with HIV. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 31, 1068–1076. doi:10.1007/s11606-016-3668-4

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ironson, G., Solomon, G. F., Balbin, E. G., O’Cleirigh, C. O., George, A., Kumar, M., … Woods, T. E. (2002). The Ironson–woods spirituality/religiousness index is associated with long survival, health behaviors, less distress, and low cortisol in people with HIV/AIDS. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 24, 34–48. doi:10.1207/S15324796ABM2401_05

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ironson, G., Stuetzle, R., & Fletcher, M. A. (2006). An increase in religiousness/spirituality occurs after HIV diagnosis and predicts slower disease progression over 4 years in people with HIV. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21, S62–S68. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00648.x

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ironson, G., Stuetzle, R., Ironson, D., Balbin, E., Kremer, H., George, A., … Fletcher, M. A. (2011). View of god as benevolent and forgiving or punishing and judgmental predicts HIV disease progression. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 34, 414–425. doi:10.1007/s10865-011-9314-z

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jaspal, R. (2010). Identity threat among British Muslim gay men. The Psychologist, 23, 639–641.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaspal, R., & Cinnirella, M. (2010). Coping with potentially incompatible identities: Accounts of religious, ethnic, and sexual identities from British Pakistani men who identify as Muslim and gay. British Journal of Social Psychology, 49, 849–870. doi:10.1348/014466609X485025

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries Iv, W. L., Sutton, M. Y., & Eke, A. N. (2017). On the battlefield: The black church, public health, and the fight against HIV among African American gay and bisexual men. Journal of Urban Health. 94(3):384-398. (Epub ahead of print).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, W. L., IV, Okeke, J. O., Gelaude, D. J., Torrone, E. A., Gasiorowicz, M., Oster, A. M., … Bertolli, J. (2014). An exploration of religion and spirituality among young, HIV-infected gay and bisexual men in the USA. Culture, Health, and Sexuality, 16, 1070–1083. doi:10.1080/13691058.2014.928370

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, G., & Raphel, L. (1996). Coming out of shame: Transforming gay and lesbian lives. New York: Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, H. G. (2008). Concerns about measuring “spirituality” in research. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 196, 349–355. doi:10.1097/NMD.0b013e31816ff796

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, H. G., King, D. E., & Carson, V. B. (2012). The handbook of religion and health (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kremer, H., & Ironson, G. (2009). Everything changed: Spiritual transformation in people with HIV. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 39, 243–262. doi:10.2190/PM.39.3.c

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kremer, H., Ironson, G., & Kaplan, L. (2009). The fork in the road: HIV as a potential positive turning point and the role of spirituality. AIDS Care, 21, 368–377. doi:10.1080/09540120802183479

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kremer, H., Ironson, G., Kaplan, L., Stuetzele, R., Baker, N., & Fletcher, M. A. (2015). Spiritual coping predicts CD4-cell preservation and undetectable viral load over four years. AIDS Care, 27, 71–79. doi:10.1080/09540121.2014.952220

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kremer, H., Ironson, G., & Porr, M. (2009). Spiritual and mind-body beliefs as barriers and motivators to HIV-treatment decision-making and medication adherence? A qualitative study. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 23, 127–134. doi:10.1089/apc.2008.0131

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lassiter, J. M., & Parsons, J. T. (2016). Religion and spirituality’s influences on HIV syndemics among MSM: A systematic review and conceptual model. AIDS and Behavior, 20, 461–472. doi:10.1007/s10461-015-1173-0

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lassiter, J. M., Saleh, L., Starks, T., Grov, C., Ventuneac, A., & Parsons, J. T. (2017). Race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and education are associated with gay and bisexual men’s religious and spiritual participation and beliefs: Results from the one thousand strong cohort. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. doi:10.1037/cdp0000143. (Epub ahead of print).

  • Lee, B. (2007). Moderating effects of religious/spiritual coping in the relation between perceived stress and psychological well-being. Pastoral Psychology, 55, 751–759. doi:10.1007/s11089-007-0080-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leserman, J., Pence, B. W., Whetten, K., Mugavero, M. J., Thielman, N. M., Swartz, M. S., & Stangl, D. (2007). Relation of lifetime trauma and depressive symptoms to mortality in HIV. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 1707–1713. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.06111775

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lima, V. D., Geller, J., Bangsberg, D. R., Patterson, T. L., Daniel, M., Kerr, T., … Hogg, R. S. (2007). The effect of adherence on the association between depressive symptoms and mortality among HIV-infected individuals first initiating HAART. AIDS, 21, 1175–1183. doi:10.1097/QAD.0b013e32811ebf57

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lumpkins, C. Y., Greiner, K. A., Daley, C., Mabachi, N. M., & Neuhaus, K. (2011). Promoting healthy behavior from the pulpit: Clergy share their perspectives on effective health communication in the African American church. Journal of Religion and Health, 52(4), 1093–1107. doi:10.1007/s10943-011-9533-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lutz, F., Kremer, H., & Ironson, G. (2011). Being diagnosed with HIV as a trigger for spiritual transformation. Religions, 2, 398–409. doi:10.3390/rel2030398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lyon, M. E., Garvie, P. A., Kao, E., Briggs, L., He, J., Malow, R., … McCarter, R. (2011). Spirituality in HIV-infected adolescents and their families: FAmily CEntered (FACE) advance care planning and medication adherence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 48, 633–636. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.09.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayne, T. J., Vittinghoff, E., Chesney, M. A., Barett, D. C., & Coates, T. J. (1996). Depressive affect and survival among gay and bisexual men infected with HIV. Archives of Internal Medicine, 156, 2233–2238. doi:10.1001/archinte.1996.00440180095012

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meanley, S., Pingel, E. S., & Bauermeister, J. A. (2016). Psychological well-being among religious and spiritual-identified young gay and bisexual men. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 13, 35–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meladze, P., & Brown, J. (2015). Religion, sexuality, and internalized homonegativity: Confronting cognitive dissonance in the Abrahamic religions. Journal of Religion and Health, 54, 1950–1962. doi:10.1007/s10943-015-0018-5

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, R. L., Jr. (2005). An appointment with god: AIDS, place, and spirituality. Journal of Sex Research, 42, 35–45. doi:10.1080/00224490509552255

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, R. L., Jr. (2007). Legacy denied: African American gay men, AIDS and the black church. Social Work, 52, 51–61. doi:10.1093/sw/52.1.51

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W. R., & Thoresen, C. E. (2003). Spirituality, religion, and health: An emerging research field. American Psychologist, 58, 24–35. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.58.1.24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monod, S., Brennan, M., Rochat, E., Martin, E., Rochat, S., & Büla, C. J. (2011). Instruments measuring spirituality in clinical research: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 26, 1345–1357. doi:10.1007/s11606-011-1769-7

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, D., Onsomu, E. O., Timmons, S. M., Abuya, B. A., & Moore, C. (2012). Communicating HIV/AIDS through African American churches in North Carolina: Implications and recommendations for HIV/AIDS faith-based programs. Journal of Religion and Health, 51, 865–878. doi:10.1007/s10943-010-9396-x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, L. E., Wilton, L., Zhang, N., Regan, R., Thach, C. T., Dyer, T. V. et al. (2016). Childhood exposure to religions with high prevalence of members who discourage homosexuality is associated with adult HIV risk behaviors and HIV infection in Black men who have sex with men. American Journal of Men’s Health. pii: 1557988315626264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oman, D. (2013). Spiritual modeling and the social learning of spirituality and religion. In K. I. Pargament, J. J. Exline, & J. W. Jones (Eds.), APA handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality (Vol. 1): Context, theory, and research (pp. 187–204). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Pargament, K., Koenig, H., Tarakeshwar, N., & Hahn, J. (2004). Religious coping methods as predictors of psychological, physical and spiritual outcomes among medically ill elderly patients: A two year longitudinal study. Journal of Health Psychology, 9, 713–730. doi:10.1177/1359105304045366

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pargament, K. I. (2013). Searching for the sacred: Toward a nonreductionistic theory of spirituality. In K. I. Pargament, J. J. Exline, & J. W. Jones (Eds.), APA handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality (Vol. 1): Context, theory, and research (pp. 257–273). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Park, J., & Nachman, S. (2010). The link between religion and HAART adherence in pediatric HIV patients. AIDS Care, 22, 556–561. doi:10.1080/09540120903254013

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, S. K., Cruise, P. L., Davenport, W. M., & Jones, V. (2006). Religious beliefs, practices and treatment adherence among individuals with HIV in the southern United States. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 20, 97–111. doi:10.1089/apc.2006.20.97

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez, J. E., Chartier, M., Koopman, C., Vosvick, M., Gore-Felton, C., & Spiegel, D. (2009). Spiritual striving, acceptance coping, and depressive symptoms among adults living with HIV/AIDS. Journal of Health Psychology, 14, 88–97. doi:10.1177/1359105308097949

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez, J. E., Forero-Puerta, T., Palesh, O., Lubega, S., Thoresen, C., Bowman, E., … Spiegel, D. (2008). Pain, distress, and social support in relation to spiritual beliefs and experiences among persons living with HIV/AIDS. In J. C. Upton (Ed.), Religion and psychology: New research (pp. 1–25). New York: Nova Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pew Research Center. (2015). America’s changing religious landscape: Chapter 4: The shifting religious identity of demographic groups. Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/chapter-4-the-shifting-religious-identity-of-demographic-groups/.

  • Piedmont, R. L., Ciarrochi, J. W., Dy-Liacco, G. S., & Williams, J. E. G. (2009). The empirical and conceptual value of spiritual transcendence and religious involvement scales for personality research. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 1, 162–179. doi:10.1037/a0015883

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitt, R. N. (2010). “killing the messenger”: Religious black gay men’s neutralization of anti-gay religious messages. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 49, 56–72. doi:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2009.01492.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, K., Dickson-Gomez, J., & Young, S. (2016). The influence of pastors’ ideologies of homosexuality on HIV prevention in the black church. Journal of Religion and Health, 55, 1700–1716.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramer, L., Johnson, D., Chan, L., & Barrett, M. T. (2006). The effect of HIV/AIDS disease progression on spirituality and self-transcendence in a multicultural population. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 17, 280–289. doi:10.1177/1043659606288373

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez, E. M., & Ouellette, S. C. (2000). Gay and lesbian Christians: Homosexual and religious identity integration in the members and participants of a gay-positive church. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 39, 333–347. doi:10.1111/0021-8294.00028

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salander, P. (2006). Who needs the concept of ‘spirituality’? Psycho-Oncology, 15, 647–649. doi:10.1002/pon.1060

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scheitle, C. P., Merino, S. M., & Moore, A. (2010). On the varying meaning of “open and affirming”. Journal of Homosexuality, 57, 1223–1236. doi:10.1080/00918369.2010.517064

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schnoor, R. F. (2006). Being gay and Jewish: Negotiating intersecting identities. Sociology of Religion, 67, 43–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seegers, D. L. (2007). Spiritual and religious experiences of gay men with HIV illness. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 18, 5–12. doi:10.1016/j.jana.2007.03.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, K., & Schrimshaw, E. W. (2002). The perceived benefits of religious and spiritual coping among older adults living with HIV/AIDS. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41, 91–102. doi:10.1111/1468-5906.00103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simoni, J. M., & Ortiz, M. Z. (2003). Mediational models of spirituality and depressive symptomatology among HIV-positive Puerto Rican women. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 9, 3–15. doi:10.1037/1099-9809.9.1.3

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sutton, M. Y., & Parks, C. P. (2013). HIV/AIDS prevention, faith, and spirituality among black/African American and Latino communities in the United States: Strengthening scientific faith-based efforts to shift the course of the epidemic and reduce HIV-related health disparities. Journal of Religion and Health, 52, 514–530. doi:10.1007/s10943-011-9499-z

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Szaflarski, M. (2013). Spirituality and religion among HIV-infected individuals. Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 10, 324–332. doi:10.1007/s11904-013-0175-7

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Szaflarski, M., Ritchey, P. N., Leonard, A. C., Mrus, J. M., Peterman, A. H., Ellison, C. G., … Tsevat, J. (2006). Modeling the effects of spirituality/religion on patients’ perceptions of living with HIV/AIDS. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21, S28–S38. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00646.x

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tarakeshwar, N., Khan, N., & Sikkema, K. J. (2006). A relationship-based framework of spirituality for individuals with HIV. AIDS and Behavior, 10, 59–70. doi:10.1007/s10461-005-9052-8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R., Mattis, J., & Chatters, L. (1999). Subjective religiosity among African Americans: A synthesis of findings from five national samples. Journal of Black Psychology, 25, 524–543. doi:10.1177/0095798499025004004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trevino, K. M., Pargament, K. I., Cotton, S., Leonard, A. C., Hahn, J., Caprini-Faigin, C. A., & Tsevat, J. (2010). Religious coping and physiological, psychological, social, and spiritual outcomes in patients with HIV/AIDS: Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings. AIDS and Behavior, 14, 379–389. doi:10.1007/s10461-007-9332-6

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tsevat, J., Leonard, A. C., Szaflarski, M., Sherman, S. N., Cotton, S., Mrus, J. M., & Feinberg, J. (2009). Change in quality of life after being diagnosed with HIV: A multicenter longitudinal study. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 23, 931–937. doi:10.1089/apc.2009.0026

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Van Wagoner, N., Mugavero, M., Westfall, A., Hollimon, J., Slater, L. Z., Burkholder, G., Raper, J. L., & Hook, E. W. (2014). Church attendance in men who have sex with men diagnosed with HIV is associated with later presentation for HIV care. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 58, 295–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, J. J., & Longmire-Avital, B. (2012). The impact of religious faith and internalized homonegativity on resiliency for black lesbian, gay, and bisexual emerging adults. Developmental Psychology, 49(9), 1723–1731. doi:10.1037/a0031059

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, T. L., Jr., Simpson, C., Cofield, S. S., Davies, S., Kohler, C., & Usdan, S. (2016). The relationship between HIV risk, high-risk behavior, religiosity, and spirituality among black men who have sex with men (MSM): An exploratory study. Journal of Religion and Health, 55, 535–548. doi:10.1007/s10943-015-0142-2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, P. A., Wittlin, N. M., Munoz-Lavoy, M., & Parker, R. (2011). Ideologies of black churches in New York and the public health crisis of HIV among black men who have sex with men. Global Public Health, 6, S227–S242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woods, T. E., Antoni, M. H., Ironson, G. H., & Kling, D. W. (1999). Religiosity is associated with affective and immune status in symptomatic HIV-infected gay men. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 46, 165–176. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(98)00078-6

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yi, M. S., Mrus, J. M., Wade, T. J., Ho, M. L., Hornung, R. W., Cotton, S., … Tsevat, J. (2006). Religion, spirituality, and depressive symptoms in patients with HIV/AIDS. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21, S21–S27. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00643.x

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of San Francisco (USF), San Francisco, CA, USA

    J. J. Garrett-Walker & John E. Pérez

Authors
  1. J. J. Garrett-Walker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. John E. Pérez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. J. Garrett-Walker .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development, College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA), State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA

    Leo Wilton

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Garrett-Walker, J.J., Pérez, J.E. (2017). Religiousness, Spirituality, and Well-Being Among HIV Positive Gay Men. In: Wilton, L. (eds) Understanding Prevention for HIV Positive Gay Men. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0203-0_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0203-0_13

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-0202-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-0203-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation