Predictors of cognition in adults with HIV: implications for nursing practice and research

The objective of this study was to identify predictors of cognitive performance among adults with HIV. Participants completed demographic, psychosocial, and mental and physical health questionnaires as well as cognitive measures of speed of processing, psychomotor ability and visuomotor coordination, attention and working memory, reasoning, and executive function. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine predictors of cognitive performance for each cognitive measure. Possible predictors included age, gender, socioeconomic status, Wide Range Achievement Test 3 Reading score (quality of education), social networks score, hardiness score, mood disturbance score, medical problems composite score, psychoactive drug use composite score, HIV chronicity, CD4+ lymphocyte cell count, and HIV medication usage. Model 1 examined demographic factors, and model 2 examined the contribution of the remaining variables on cognitive performance. Results revealed that several factors were predictive of cognitive functioning, with the individual regression models for each measure explaining 8% to 48% of the variability in performance. Overall, this study posits that among adults with HIV, the most consistent predictors of poorer cognition included older age, poorer reading ability, more depressed mood, CD4+ lymphocyte cell count less than 200, and lack of HIV medication usage. Results suggest that those aging with HIV are subject to decreases in cognitive functioning.