A-077 Relationship Between Mental Health and Physical Health and Neurocognitive Function among Latinx People Living With HIV

Abstract

Abstract Objective The relationship between self-reported mental health (MH), physical health (PH), and neurocognition (NC) is vastly understudied among Latinx people living with HIV (PLWH). Evidence of increased somatization in this group suggests that self-reported MH and PH may contextualize cognitive outcomes among Latinx PLWH. Thus, this study examines the relationship between self-reported MH/PH and NC in a sample of Latinx PLWH. Method This study included 76 Latinx PLWH (33% female; M age = 46.0, SD = 7.08) who completed the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV) and a comprehensive neurocognitive battery. MH and PH were defined by the MOS-HIV, where higher MH and PH summary scores indicate better perceived health. Demographically-corrected T-scores were used to compute average global NC and domain scores. Results Within Latinx PLWH, partial correlations controlling for age and education found PH was associated with better processing speed (r = .28, p = .03), and MH was related to better global NC, fluency, learning, and processing speed (ps < .05). A series of multiple regressions (Step 1: age, education, Step 2: MH, PH summary scores) were used to predict NC domain scores. MH (R2 = .11–.15) significantly predicted better attention/working memory (β = .26, p = .03) and global NC at the trend level (β = .19, p = .07). PH did not predict any NC domains. Conclusions Findings indicate that MH and PH correlated with global and domain-specific NC within Latinx PLWH. Better self-reported MH may improve attention/working memory and global NC in Latinx PLWH. Somatization is important when considering MH/PH and cognition within Latinx PLWH; physicians should consider the impact of patients’ self-reported MH/PH on NC in Latinx PLWH.