| Publication Abstract Display | | Type: Published Abstract | | Title: Prospective memory and risk of unemployment in HIV infection. | | Authors: Woods S, Weber E, Weisz B, Dawson M, Grant I, and the HNRC Group | | Year: 2010 | | Publication: 3rd International Conference on Prospective Memory, Vancouver, Cananda | | Volume: Issue: Pages: | | Abstract:This study examined the hypothesis that prospective memory deficits confer an increased risk of unemployment among individuals living with HIV infection. Participants included 108 HIV-infected individuals aged 25-60 years who underwent comprehensive psychiatric, medical, neurocognitive research evaluations, including a well-validated measure of prospective memory (i.e., the Memory for Intentions Screening Test). Participants who reported working full-time at the time of evaluation were classified as “Employed” (n=49) and were demographically matched to a sample of Unemployed (n=59) subjects. Individuals with severe psychiatric illness, neurological disease, or current substance dependence were excluded. The Unemployed participants demonstrated significantly lower performance on scales of time- and event-based prospective memory (ps<.05), which was characterized by higher rates of omission errors (p<.05). There were no between-group differences in other error types (e.g., commission), the ongoing task, or the post-test recognition trial (ps>.10). Importantly, prospective memory impairment was an independent predictor of Unemployment in a series of logistic regression models that included measures of retrospective memory and executive functions, mood disturbance, and HIV disease severity (e.g., AIDS diagnosis) and treatment factors. These findings suggest that prospective memory impairment is a salient predictor of unemployment in HIV and might be of value in developing vocational rehabilitation plans. |
return to publications listing
|