| Publication Abstract Display | | Type: Published Abstract | | Title: Are there ethnicity differences in the ability of neuropsychological test performance to predict functional impairment in HIV infection? | | Authors: Robbins R, Rivera Mindt M, Heaton RK, Marcotte TD, Grant I, and the HNRC Group | | Year: 2004 | | Publication: Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society | | Volume: 10 Issue: Suppl S1 Pages: 196 | | Abstract:HIV-associated neuropsychological (NP) impairment predicts increased rates of impairment on laboratory and real-life measures of everyday functioning, in general, but little research exists concerning these relationships in different race/ ethnicity groups. Because race/ethnicity status is associated with NP performance differences, the current study explored whether such differences affect the ecological validity of NP tests in HIV-infected, racial/ethnic minority groups. Methods: 110 HIV+ participants (55 White & 55 non-White; 34 African-American, 14 Hispanic, 7 Other) completed comprehensive NP and neuromedical evaluations, as well as standardized measures of everyday functioning. Participants in the ethnicity groups were matched on age, education, gender, AIDS/non-AIDS status, CD4-count, and NP impairment. Results: Of the five subjects comprising the laboratory-based functional battery (Work-Assessment, Medication-Management, Financial-Management, Shopping and Cooking), the non-White group performed significantly worse on only one functional measure, Work-Assessment (Chi-square = 802, p <.01) Multiple regressions using 7 NP domains, (clinical ratings based on demographically corrected t-scores: Verbal, Speed of Information Processing, Attention/Working Memory, Learning, Memory, Abstraction/Executive and Motor functioning), to predict performance on each of the functional measures yielded statistically significant models in all cases, for both the White and non-White groups, except for Shopping in the White group (p = .40). Mean R-squares (derived from the previously reported multiple regressions) for the non-White group (R-square Mean = .42; Median = .44) compared favorably with that for the White group (R-square Mean = .37; Median = .33). Conclusion: These results suggest that these NP tests have comparable ecological validity for White and racial/ethnic minority HIV+ adults. |
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