Acculturation has been linked to neuropsychological performance in several ethnic groups. However, research among Latina/o samples has examined primarily Mexican/Mexican Americans, and has not examined Latina/o clinical populations of Caribbean descent. This study examined associations between a multidimensional acculturation measure and neuropsychological performance among 82 HIV+ Caribbean Latina/o adults. Multivariate results showed that U.S. acculturation significantly predicted 11–14% of the variance in Global Neuropsychological functioning, Verbal Fluency, and Processing Speed, whereas Latina/o acculturation predicted 8% of the variance in Executive Function and 6% in Motor Function (trend level associations). Both linguistic and non-linguistic cultural factors had distinct effects on neuropsychological performance.
Sexual compulsivity and the internet have been investigated separately among gay and bisexual men for their connection to sexual risk behaviour, yet little research has addressed the intersection. This analysis explored qualitative interview data from 111 gay and bisexual men experiencing out of control sexual thoughts and/or behaviours, about the role of the internet in their lives. For some it facilitated their problematic sexual thoughts and behaviours and, to some extent, was a distraction from important facets of their lives. Equally, men identified strategies to limit their internet use and reduce these negative consequences. For some, the internet was attributed to being less discriminating about partners. In contrast, other men compared the internet to other venues for meeting sex partners (e.g. bars) and described the internet as a medium for reducing physical (cruising online versus cruising a dark alley) and sexual (multiple partners at bathhouses versus cyber-sex only) risk. Clinically, service providers should conduct more thorough assessments regarding the role of the internet in the lives of patients who experience sexual compulsivity, as many individual differences exist, and there may be positive benefits that stem from internet use.
Objective There is limited research examining the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and neuropsychological functioning, particularly in racial/ethnic minority and HIV+ populations. However, there are complex associations between poverty, education, HIV disease, race/ethnicity, and health outcomes in the US. Method We explored these relationships among an ethnically diverse sample of 134 HIV+ adults using a standardized SES measure (i.e., the Hollingshead scale), a comprehensive NP test battery, and a functional evaluation (i.e., Patient’s Assessment of Own Functioning Inventory and Modified Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale). Results Bivariate analyses showed that adult SES was significantly, positively correlated with neuropsychological performance on specific tests within the domains of verbal fluency, attention/concentration, learning, memory, processing speed, and executive functioning, and childhood SES was significantly linked to measures of verbal fluency, processing speed, and executive functioning. In a series of linear regressions, controlling for SES significantly attenuated group differences in NP test scores between racial/ethnic minority individuals and non-Hispanic white individuals. Finally, SES scores significantly differed across HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND) diagnoses. In a binary logistic regression, SES was the only independent predictor of HAND diagnosis. Conclusions HIV+ individuals with lower SES may be more vulnerable to HIV-associated neuropsychological sequelae due to prominent health disparities, although the degree to which this is influenced by factors such as test bias remains unclear. Overall, our results suggest that SES is significantly linked to neuropsychological test performance in HIV+ individuals, and is an important factor to consider in clinical practice.
In recent years, HIV/AIDS populations have become older and increasingly more ethnically diverse. Concurrently, the prevalence of HIV-related neurocognitive (NC) impairment remains high. This study examined the effects of age and ethnicity on NC function in HIV-positive adults. The sample (N = 126; 84 Latina/o and 42 Non-Hispanic White) completed a comprehensive NC battery. Global NC and domain average demographically-corrected t-scores were generated. There were no significant differences between Younger (<50 years) Latina/os and non-Hispanic Whites on Global NC function or NC domains (all p's >.10), with generally small effect sizes. Older Latina/os (≥50 years) were significantly more impaired than Older Non-Hispanic Whites on processing speed and learning, with trends in Global NC function and memory. Further, effect sizes fell within the medium to large range (Cohen's d's = .49–1.15). This study suggests that older Latina/os are at potentially greater risk for NC impairment, particularly in processing speed and learning, when compared to similarly-aged non-Hispanic whites.
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