Victor Minichiello

Queensland University of Technology | QUT · School of Justice

Objectives: Although sex work is frequently characterised as a practice with high risk for HIV and other STIs, little is known about the epidemiology of these infections among men who sell sex in Australia. This study reports the prevalence of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, infectious syphilis and HIV among men who have sex with men attending Australian p...

Background: Despite increasing numbers of Iranian-American physicians practicing in the United States, little is known about the barriers that may impact them as providers of sexual health care. This is an important topic as discussions of sexual topics are generally considered a taboo among Iranians. We aimed to identify barriers experienced by I...

In this chapter Fileborn and her colleagues discuss the experiences of LGBT people and the challenges they face - regarding their identity, sexuality, family relationships and stigma - in leading them to live (or not) in multigenerational households.

Objectives: This article examines relationships between experiences of ageism and four specific mental health outcomes among older Australian adults, including whether these relationships vary depending on age, gender, and sexual orientation. Methods: A survey was conducted nationwide involving 2137 participants aged 60 years and older. Mental heal...

Objective: Healthcare providers (HCPs) can play an important role in supporting the sexual health of older adults; however, we know little about the experiences of older people in talking to HCPs about sex. This article examines older adults' experiences and perceptions of talking to HCPs about sex. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were condu...

Around the world, male sex work is an increasingly online endeavour, which presents unique opportunities for research and advocacy. This chapter examines large datasets of male sex work profiles from six contents and spanning more than a decade, asking questions about the potentials and pitfalls for research. While profiles provide a large, diverse...

Background and Objectives Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 3.7 million older adults living with HIV, who experience high rates of comorbid conditions. Formal services other than HIV clinical care are largely unavailable. Overall, women are the mainstay of informal social support networks, and older women with HIV may face burdens due to family caregiv...

This chapter provides an overview of the prevalence of data reported on the mental health and well-being of LGBTIQA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Gender Diverse, Intersex, Queer, Asexual, Plus other gender identities and sexual orientations) people using Australia as a case study while also comparing it to other Western nations. This data not...

Research on older people with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa finds high rates of comorbidity in addition to HIV, suggesting they will require increasing assistance from informal social networks. Data are scarce on social network dynamics of older people with HIV in the region, and research is needed to understand how their social networks provide suppor...

Older adults with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa often care for grandchildren, but the impact of caring on well-being has not been studied extensively. We examined 208 older adults with HIV in Uganda (n = 100) and South Africa (n = 108); 90% were grandparents and 47% cared for grandchildren (carers). Carers were vulnerable compared to noncarers and nong...

Early in the HIV epidemic, living with HIV and ageing were mutually exclusive in African countries. Increased accessibility of antiretroviral therapies has changed this. Much is known of the experience of older South Africans as caregivers in the HIV epidemic, but less of the social support experience of those ageing with HIV. This chapter presents...

A growing body of work examines sexuality in later life in sub-Saharan Africa, but we know little about the sexual health of older people with HIV in this region. Using data from Uganda and South Africa, we examined sexual health and risk in older people with HIV and examined similarities and differences based on nationality and gender. Over 40% of...

Objective: This study examined older lesbian and gay adults' experiences regarding informal caregiving, including challenges and positive aspects of caregiving. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 16 lesbian women and gay men in Australia, aged 60+, who were engaged in informal caregiving. Analyses involved a qualitative thematic approach....

This study sought to understand the social and individual factors that predict loneliness among older lesbian and gay people in Australia. A sample of 508 gay men and 241 lesbian women, aged 60 and over, completed a survey including measures of loneliness, internalized homonegativity, sexual orientation discrimination, and connectedness to lesbian...

Introduction In Australia, there is a unique cohort of older (aged 60 and over) lesbian women and gay men who reached adolescence from as early as the 1940s up until the 1970s. Many have witnessed numerous social changes regarding the acceptance of lesbian and gay people in general society. Given the uniqueness of this cohort, it is important to ha...

Objective Relatively little research has examined ageism among older lesbian and gay adults. In this study, we investigated how ageism, as well as sexuality-related stigma, relate to mental health and well-being in these groups. Method Six hundred and thirteen lesbian women and gay men aged 60+ in Australia completed a nationwide survey. We invest...

There is little research on how nationalism is adopted and deployed to foster but also to challenge sex-, gender- and HIV-related stigma in Thailand and other nation states across Southeast Asia. The available literature highlights how self-help groups for Thai people with HIV function as communities of practice, as sites of learning, and for gaini...

Lesbian women and gay men are at greater risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than heterosexual people, however few studies have examined PTSD in older lesbian women and gay men. This study examined predictors of having ever been diagnosed with PTSD, as well as relationships to current quality of life, among 756 lesbian women and gay men a...

Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing socioeconomic and health disparities, including disparities in sexual health and well-being. While there have been several reviews published on COVID-19 and population health disparities generally—including some with attention to HIV—none has focused on sexual health (ie, STI car...

Background Global responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed and exacerbated existing socioeconomic and health inequities that disproportionately affect the sexual health and well-being of many populations, including people of color, ethnic minority groups, women, and sexual and gender minority populations. Although there have been several rev...

In this paper we explore methodological considerations for recruiting stigmatised populations online. Advertising for research participants via social networking sites (SNS) has increasingly become a tool of choice for both quantitative and qualitative researchers. However, such recruitment practices pose a range of challenges for researchers, espe...

Objectives: Volunteering is associated with positive well-being among older people, providing opportunities to stay active and socially connected. This may be especially relevant for older lesbian and gay people, who are less likely than heterosexual people to have a partner, children or support from their family of origin. Methods: Patterns of vol...

Background: Global responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed and exacerbated existing socioeconomic and health inequities that disproportionately affect the sexual health and well-being of many populations, including people of color, ethnic minority groups, women, and sexual and gender minority populations. Although there have been several re...

Background: Global responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed and exacerbated existing socioeconomic and health inequities that disproportionately affect the sexual health and well-being of many populations, including people of color, ethnic minority groups, women, and sexual and gender minority populations. Although there have been several re...

Background: Global responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed and exacerbated existing socioeconomic and health inequities that disproportionately affect the sexual health and well-being of many populations, including people of color, ethnic minority groups, women, and sexual and gender minority populations. Although there have been several re...

Older lesbian and gay people can face considerable marginalisation, which may affect their perceptions and experiences of accessing health and aged care services. To inform strategies promoting accessibility, this study aimed to investigate perceived barriers and facilitators to health and aged care service access among older lesbian and gay adults...

Sex workers confront unique challenges in the face of COVID-19. Data from an international sex work website popular with cisgender men and transgender men and women suggest that, after a period of physical distancing, many sex workers are returning to in-person work: from May to August 2020, active sex work profiles increased 9.4% (P < 0.001) and n...

This qualitative study explored the barriers and facilitators to sexual communication between older adults and friends. Fifty-three women and men aged 58 and older were interviewed about their intimate relationships and sexual behaviours and attitudes. Findings indicated that talking about sex with friends played an important role in providing supp...

Many older people in trans communities in Australia and elsewhere have experienced long histories of violence and discrimination in the health and social care sectors, making some of them fearful of interacting with contemporary health and social care providers. This study explored older trans women’s perceptions of these services. It involved a qu...

Objectives Recommendations of ‘social distancing’ and home quarantines to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic have implications for sex and intimacy, including sex work. This study examined the effects of COVID-19 on male sex work globally and investigated how men who sold sex responded to and engaged with the virus in the context of work. Methods...

Being comfortable in disclosing one’s sexual orientation to health and aged care providers is important for older lesbian and gay adults, given that nondisclosure is associated with poorer health and well-being outcomes. In a sample of 752 lesbian and gay adults aged 60 years and older living in Australia, we found only 51% of lesbian women and 64%...

Objective: Research suggests that lesbian and gay people’s disclosure of their sexual orientation to parents is associated with better mental health and identity adjustment. However, adolescents and younger adults have been the main focus with little known about the experiences of older people. The following study focused on older lesbian and gay a...

We assessed individual and collective responses to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (‘PrEP’) among a network of male sex workers and clients. From 2011 to May 2017, keyword searches on an online discussion forum identified 668 posts that referenced PrEP. We conducted four analyses: (i) discourse analysis identifying reactions to PrEP, (ii) thematic ana...

Objectives Little is known about the vulnerabilities faced by human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] positive parents living with their children in Bangladesh. Methods A qualitative research design was used to examine parental experiences of living with HIV in the Bangladeshi family context, with data collected through in-depth interviews with 19 indi...

Older lesbian and gay people are increasingly open about their sexuality but have also experienced a lifetime of discrimination. These groups have experienced a long history of changes to lesbian and gay rights, and many were also at the forefront of activist movements during the latter half of the 20th century. A deeper knowledge is needed of the...

This chapter consolidates research on cultural beliefs and attitudes that serve as barriers to the management of sexual healthcare among Western, Asian, and Middle Eastern practicing physicians in the USA. The chapter first reviews evidence from the research literature to demonstrate how physicians from these populations have viewed and experienced...

This study examines the potential health-related impact of recent versus lifetime experiences of sexual orientation discrimination among older Australian lesbian women and gay men. In a nationwide survey, a sample of 243 lesbian women and 513 gay men aged 60 years and over reported on their experiences of sexual orientation discrimination and their...

Many older people in trans communities in Australia and elsewhere have experienced long histories of violence and discrimination in the health and social care sectors, making some of them fearful of interacting with contemporary health and social care providers. This study explored older trans women's perceptions of these services. It involved a qu...

Informal care‐givers play an important role in society, and many of the people who provide this care are lesbian women and gay men. Being a care‐giver is known to be associated with poorer health and well‐being, and lesbian and gay care‐givers report experiences of stigma and discrimination in the care‐giving context. This study involved a survey o...

This chapter is about carving out a pathway in academia or related gender and sexuality (G&S) careers. A panel of academic experts on G&S—including Professor Emeriti and Associate Professors with highly successful careers—answer eight questions about career pathways in research and education. All experts have held or hold academic roles in research...

Background HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has reshaped condom use practices in many contexts, but little is known about its impact on commercial sex encounters between men. This study investigated condom use in Australian male sex work. Methods During 2017–2018, we undertook a mixed-method ethnographic study of male sex work in Australia, wor...

The needs of older lesbian and gay people regarding access and use of aged‐care services remain underresearched. This paper reports the findings of 33 qualitative interviews with older lesbian women and gay men about their perceptions and experiences of residential aged‐care and home‐based aged‐care services in Australia. The focus of this paper is...

This study examined housing security among 679 lesbian women and gay men aged 60 years and older living in Australia. We examined a range of potential demographic and psychosocial predictors of whether participants felt that their housing situation was secure. Overall, most participants (89%) felt that their housing situation was secure. We found t...

Aims The aim of this study was to explain through the life‐course and life‐span perspectives of developmental regulation theory the controls on dental experiences and beliefs throughout the lives of older people in Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Background Dental diseases and disabilities among older people are serious public health concerns in China....

We have limited knowledge about the vulnerabilities faced by HIV-positive parents in families and the strategies they use to manage these circumstances in Bangladesh. A qualitative research design was used to analyse in-depth interviews with 19 HIV-positive parents who lived with their children in Khulna and Dhaka, Bangladesh. The findings indicate...

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have risen among older people in Australia and other countries. To guide future initiatives, we examined sources of information that older people use or are willing to use for knowledge about safer sex and STIs, including whether there are any gender differences. A total of 2137 Australian adults aged 60+ year...

Introduction. Knowledge on effective management strategy for sexual healthcare (i.e., sexual history taking, sexually transmitted infections, sexual dysfunctions) used by Iranian-American physicians remains a serious gap within current literature. Having this knowledge, and its impact on their patients, is essential, since discussions of sexually r...

That many older individuals continue to engage in various forms of sexual expression well into later life is now well established in the literature. To date, however, only a small body of qualitative research has examined older men’s experiences and understandings of sex in later life. Likewise, the ways in which older men’s discussions on sex may...

Experiences of ageism are associated with poorer health outcomes. Sexual activity and interest are areas in life where the impact of ageism may also be evident as popular culture often depicts the older body as asexual, undesirable or sexually impotent. We explore the possible links between experiences of ageism and sexual activity/interest in late...

This study explored sexual satisfaction in older heterosexual Australians using data from a national sample of 1,583 men and women aged 60+ who hoped or planned to have sex in the future. Data collection took place in 2015; participants were recruited using a variety of online and offline advertisements. Less than half the sample (46%) reported the...

This paper examines the role of the research process in shaping the construction of knowledge about sensitive topics in in-depth interviews particularly with regard to researcher identity and cultural influences or norms. We argue that these influences shape all aspects of the research process and that researchers will benefit from reflecting upon...

Background: Although obtaining sexual history from patients is essential, the attitudes of physicians can become a barrier to sexual health care. Iranian-American physicians may face particular challenges because talking about sexuality is considered a taboo within their culture. Our study examined these physicians' attitudes when taking a sexual...

While male sex work (MSW) is a highly gendered practice involving the commodification of the male body, masculinity has rarely been examined to understand this new occupational environment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty male independent internet-based escorts in Brisbane, Australia. Masculinity was used as a conceptual tool...

Objective: Health Care Providers (HCPs) can play an important role in supporting the sexual health of older adults ;however we know little about the experiences of older people in talking to HCPs about sex. This article examines older adults’ experiences and perceptions of talking to HCPs about sex. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducte...

Sex, Age & Me is the first Australian study of its kind to comprehensively explore sex, sexual health, and the relationships of older Australians aged 60+ years. This report summarises key findings and policy/practice recommendations.

Objective: To examine older Australian's perspectives on how their sexual lives can best be supported and/or improved. Methods: Fifty-three, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Australian men (n = 30) and women (n = 23) aged 60 and over. Results: Participants identified a range of key issues and areas where their sexual lives could...

Objective: Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are rising among older Australians. We conducted a large survey of older people's knowledge of STIs and safer sexual practices. Methods: A total of 2,137 Australians aged 60 years and older completed the survey, which included 15 questions assessing knowledge of STIs and safer sexual pra...

Older people are often excluded from large studies of sexual health, as it is assumed that they are not having sex or are reluctant to talk about sensitive topics, and are therefore difficult to recruit. We outline the sampling and recruitment strategies from a recent study on sexual health and relationships among older people. Sex, Age and Me was...

Sadly, in the 21st century we can still encounter nations supporting discourses and legal systems that criminalize two aspects of human sexual behaviour: same-sex relations and paid sex. However, a progressive agenda is emerging to reverse centuries of persecutions, stigmatization, and hate crime committed against groups considered to be ‘the other...

Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are increasing in older cohorts in Western countries such as Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., suggesting a need to examine the safer sex knowledge and practices of older people. This article presents findings from 53 qualitative interviews from the study “Sex, Age & Me: a National Study of Sex and Re...

In this chapter Marino and colleagues challenge the common assumptions that cultural traditions strongly influence individual desire for multigenerational living. Through their case study of older China-born migrants living in Melbourne, they discuss how cultural traditions may not be as influential when transported to a different social setting.

This paper examines the preferred sexuality education sources of older Australian adults in later life. Drawing on findings from qualitative interviews with 30 men and 23 women aged 60 years and older, we consider the sources that participants currently use, or would like to use, in seeking information about sex. Where relevant, we examine particip...

Background: Rates of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) are increasing among older adults in many countries. Little is known about the testing and treatment histories of these populations. Correlates of testing in the past 5 years among older adults who may be at risk of a STI were examined. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 2137 Austra...

This paper details a preliminary dataset of global male escort sites in order to give insight into the scale of the online market. We conducted a content analysis of 499 websites and also measured traffic to these sites. Our analysis examined the structural characteristics of escort services, geographical and regulatory contexts along with resilien...

The representation of HIV/AIDS as a sexual and self-inflicted disease has drawn popular and scholarly attention to stigmatized populations. Little is known about the experiences of children with HIV-positive parents. This study reports on children’s experiences of living with HIV-positive parents within the family context of Bangladesh. A qualitati...

Recently scholars have examined more closely the topic of female sexual self-concept as an aspect of sexual well-being. Few studies have focused on migrated women’s life experiences cross-culturally, and how that informs a woman’s view of herself as a sexual being. This is particularly true about most middle-eastern cultures, including Iranian-Amer...

With much of the focus on the “risk” groups, families have often been less studied in HIV research. Further, because of a focus on the aetiology and epidemiology of HIV, the social impacts associated with HIV on families and neighbours are sometimes overlooked. This study examined parental experiences of stigma and discrimination while living with...

Abstract Background Researching male sex work offers insight into the sexual lives of men and women while developing a more realistic appreciation for the changing issues associated with male sex work. This type of research is important because it not only reflects a growing and diversifying consumer demand for male sex work, but also because it en...

You can download this article from https://theconversation.com/ageing-gracefully-how-women-steer-the-line-between-inauthentic-and-old-35726

This paper written for a wide academic and popular audience discuss the results from a qualitative study on older Australian women who discuss their sexual lives and relationships. A copy of the full article can be download from https://theconversation.com/sex-desire-and-pleasure-in-later-life-australian-womens-experiences-35725

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of how telecommunications is changing the male sex industry, in particular how it allows men to use the internet to sexually sell their bodies. The implications of recent developments in the male sex industry are discussed.

This paper presents findings from an exploratory study that explored how Shona-Zimbabwean women living permanently in Australia understand and construct sexuality in following migration. Main concepts within sexuality under scrutiny in this paper therefore include: gender, embodiment and intimacy. A core finding of the study presented in this paper...

The authors discuss utilization of dental health services by older Greek and Italian immigrants in Melbourne, Australia. Their study involved 374 Greek and 360 Italian adults who completed a questionnaire and received an oral examination. Nearly 41% of Greek and 45% of Italian respondents had used dental services in the previous year. As barriers t...

Background Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a public health problem in Vietnam with sub-optimal care in medical practice. Identifying practitioners’ perceived barriers to STI care is important to improve care for patients with STIs. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 451 physicians. These physicians were dermatology and...

This chapter provides an overview of issues associated with male escorts in Australia, including results of on-line profiles of male escorts.

Despite the body being central to the experience of ageing, little attention has been paid to how relationships may mediate the experience of ageing bodies. This article considers older Australian women's accounts of their bodies and of embodied experiences in the context of both long-term and newly formed intimate relationships. Drawn from a broad...

Technological change, particularly the growth of the Internet and smart phones, has increased the visibility of male escorts, expanded their client base and diversified the range of venues in which male sex work can take place. Specifically, the Internet has relocated some forms of male sex work away from the street and thereby increased market rea...

This chapter reviews how quantitative and qualitative research methodologies can be used in the study of ageing.

This chapter discussed the challenges associated with the study of ageing in contemporary society. It reviews issues associated with the myths of old age and how these are sometimes carried over in the health professions. It argues for the value of using a biopsychosocial model for understanding the issues associated with the human and biological p...