The role of social support on cognitive function among midlife and older adult MSM

This study examines the association between social support and cognitive function among midlife and older MSM living with or without HIV.

We analyzed longitudinal data from participants enrolled from October 2016 to March 2019 in the Patterns of Healthy Aging Study, a substudy of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study.

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to estimate the association between social support and three measures of cognitive function [Trail Making Test (TMT) Part A, TMT Part B to A ratio, and Symbol Digit Modalities Tasks (SDMT)]. We also used linear mixed-effects models to estimate the association between baseline social support and cognitive function across four subsequent time points. We evaluated a multiplicative interaction term between baseline social support and time, in order to determine whether cognitive trajectories over time vary by baseline social support.

Social support was associated with lower TMT Part A scores at baseline and over the subsequent 2 years, indicating better psychomotor ability. Social support was associated with higher SDMT scores at baseline and across 2 years, indicating better information processing. We observed no association between social support and TMT B to A ratio at baseline or across 2 years, indicating no effect on set-shifting ability. Longitudinal cognition outcome trajectories did not vary by the level of baseline social support.

Social support and cognitive function were associated in this sample over a short time period. Further research should explore causal relationships over the lifespan.