The research, conducted by an interdisciplinary team consisting of Dr Bram Mellink (FGW), Dr Jesse van Amelsvoort (FGW) and Prof Jan Willem Duyvendak (FMG), will analyse archival material and interviews with survivors of the HIV/AIDS crisis in order to identify its long-term effects on the community. Here, the focus is on how the collective experience of HIV/AIDS has affected gay men's self-esteem, from the 1980s to the present. The research findings will not only contribute to historical knowledge about the crisis but also offer insights into its spillover on the contemporary mental health of LGBTQ+ individuals.