| Publication Abstract Display | | Type: Published Abstract | | Title: Acculturation accounts for ethnic group differences in neuropsychological test performance among HIV+ individuals. | | Authors: Manly J, Miller SW, Heaton R, Grant I, and the HNRC Group | | Year: 1997 | | Publication: Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society | | Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Pages: 14-15 | | Abstract:This study examined the effect of self-reported acculturation on the ability of neuropsychological tests to detect HIV-related cognitive impairment. Participants were 20 non-Hispanic White and 20 African American HIV+ individuals matched on age, education, gender, and disease stage. The African American Acculturation Scale and a complete neuropsychological battery were administered. The HIV+ African American group had significantly lower scores on measures of abstraction (Category Test and Trails B), visuospatial skill ( Block Design), language (Vocabulary) and learning (Story and Figure Learning) than White subjects (p < .01 for all). However, after accounting for acculturation, ethnic group differences on all these measures except Story Learning became nonsignificant. This study suggests that accounting for within-group cultural differences may improve the neurodiagnostic accuracy of certain neuropsychological tests. |
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