Publication Abstract Display | Type: Published Abstract | Title: Neuropsychological performance predicts everyday functioning in HIV+ individuals. | Authors: Reicks CJ, Moore DJ, Dawson LK, Marcotte TD, Heaton RK, Grant I, and the HNRC Group | Year: 1999 | Publication: Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society | Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Pages: 154 | Abstract:Most neuropsychological (NP) tests consist of laboratory measures of cognitive
abilities which have been assumed to impact real-life activities of
daily living. However, it remains unclear whether standard NP tests actually
measure those abilities required to accomplish everyday tasks.We have
developed a measure of everyday functioning that examines four independent
living tasks: cooking, ordering from a restaurant, paying bills–
managing a checkbook, and managing a medication regimen. The purpose
of the current study is to use this newly developed measure to explore
further the relevance of NP impairments to everyday functioning in HIV infected
persons, a population in which mild neurocognitive deficits have
often been observed.We examined 84 HIV+ participants who had a mean
age of 37.8 (SD 6.5) and an average of 13.2 (SD 2.2) years of education.
Each participant completed a comprehensive NP battery and our newly
developed measure of everyday functioning which requires attention, planning,
decision making, and multitasking skills. Regression analyses revealed
that global NP performance significantly predicted performance on
the total everyday functioning score, explaining 36% of the variance. In
addition, the NP impaired group performed significantly worse than their
NP normal counterparts on the total score for the everyday functioning
task, as well as on each of the four everyday functioning subtests. These
significant findings yield strong support for the value of this newly developed
instrument in detecting subtle neurocognitive deficits that may impact
daily living skills. |
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