The social support needs of older adults within the context of sexually transmitted infections or diseases (STI/STD): A scoping review

Sexual health among older adults is often overlooked despite evidence that they remain sexually active and at risk for STI/STD infections. The increasing prevalence of these infections in aging populations highlights the importance of understanding their social support needs, especially in mitigating stigma and discrimination. This scoping review aimed at mapping out the relevant extant literature on the subject of the social support needs of older adults who had contracted STI/STD within the context of stigma and discrimination, identified research gaps based on the extracted data and suggested directions for future research. Guided by the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, searches in five international English Language databases including PubMed, SAGE Journals, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis Online, and Wiley Online Library yielded 193,874 initial results; four rounds of exclusion guided by the PRISMA-ScR guidelines produced six finalized articles. The analysis of the extracted data identified four main gaps in the extant literature: current research focuses only on HIV; methodological gaps; the roles of family/culture/ethnicity in providing social support; and challenges in maintaining social/spiritual/religious connections. Future research needs to utilize more diverse research methods, include assessments of preparedness and evaluation of social support needs for sexually active older adults; expand research from cultural, ethnic and sociodemographic perspectives; and fourth, augmentation of research in the area of STI/STD among older adults to include gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia and Hepatitis C. The findings highlight the critical need for expanded research into the broader spectrum of STI/STD infections among older adults beyond HIV.