The Impact of Sociocultural Factors on Prospective Memory Function in HIV+ Latinx Adults

Memory for future intentions, or prospective memory, is a salient component of neurocognitive functioning for people living with HIV (PLWH) as it is implicated in medication taking behaviors, lower health-related quality of life, increased risk of dependence in daily functioning, and unemployment. However, little is understood regarding prospective memory in diverse populations, such as Latinx PLWH, who are disproportionately impacted by HIV and worse health outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine ethnic group differences and sociocultural factors related to prospective memory. The sample of 127 PLWH (91 Latinx and 36 NHW) completed measures of quality of education, socioeconomic status, and a validated measure of prospective memory. The Latinx group also completed a measure of acculturation. The results revealed that the Latinx PLWH group committed significantly more prospective memory errors and had poorer prospective memory recognition compared to their NHW counterparts (all p’s \u3c 05). Within the entire sample, better quality of education was significantly associated with better prospective memory performance (all p’s \u3c .05). Within the Latinx group, higher Latinx acculturation was significantly associated with worse prospective memory performance. Multiple regression analyses further revealed that quality of education and Latinx acculturation significantly predicted overall prospective memory and errors, while only quality of education predicted prospective memory recognition (all p’s \u3c .05). SES and US acculturation were not related to any aspect of prospective memory (all p’s \u3e .10). In sum, quality of education and acculturation are salient factors in prospective memory performance, and should be taken into consideration when examining prospective memory among Latinx PLWH