Cognitive Predictors of Everyday Functioning in Older Virally Suppressed Women with HIV in the Women’s Interagency HIV Study

TL;DR

This study finds that motor and executive cognitive skills are linked to everyday functioning in older women with HIV.

Contribution

The study identifies specific cognitive domains affecting daily living in older women with HIV.

Findings

Poorer motor performance correlates with home repair and housekeeping difficulties.

Executive dysfunction is linked to challenges in planning social activities.

Cognitive training targeting these areas may improve daily functioning.

Abstract

In the Women’s Interagency HIV Study, we examined the association between objective cognitive test performance and the self-rated Lawton and Brody scale of Independent Activities of Daily Living (IADL) in 754 older (50+) women with HIV (WWH; 84% virally suppressed). To handle this longitudinal data, weighted logistic mixed effect models examined associations between cognitive domain performance (predictor) and functional outcomes (IADL item level scores). In the total sample, poorer motor performance was associated with impairments in home repairs, housekeeping, and laundry and poorer executive functioning was associated with impairment in planning social activities. Among older virally suppressed-WWH, poorer motor performance was associated with deficits in home repair and poorer executive performance was associated with deficits in planning social activities. Since motor and executive performance were related to impairments in certain IADLs, strategies such as cognitive training targeting these domains could improve everyday functioning.

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