Sex Differences in the Cognitive Performance of a South African Cohort of People With HIV and Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder
Women with HIV (WWH) may be more vulnerable to cognitive impairment than men with HIV (MWH), which may be explained by the direct effects of HIV or by sociodemographic and psychiatric characteristics. We recruited 105 people with HIV (PWH; 76 women) with incomplete antiretroviral therapy adherence,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23259582231203192 |
| _version_ | 1797667135467552768 |
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| author | Anna J. Dreyer PhD Sam Nightingale PhD Lena S. Andersen PhD Jasper S. Lee PhD Hetta Gouse PhD Steven A. Safren PhD Conall O’Cleirigh PhD Kevin G. F. Thomas PhD John A. Joska PhD |
| author_facet | Anna J. Dreyer PhD Sam Nightingale PhD Lena S. Andersen PhD Jasper S. Lee PhD Hetta Gouse PhD Steven A. Safren PhD Conall O’Cleirigh PhD Kevin G. F. Thomas PhD John A. Joska PhD |
| author_sort | Anna J. Dreyer PhD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Women with HIV (WWH) may be more vulnerable to cognitive impairment than men with HIV (MWH), which may be explained by the direct effects of HIV or by sociodemographic and psychiatric characteristics. We recruited 105 people with HIV (PWH; 76 women) with incomplete antiretroviral therapy adherence, comorbid major depressive disorder, and socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Participants completed neuropsychological testing and measures gathering sociodemographic, medical, and psychiatric information. We compared WWH and MWH cognitive performance using unadjusted and adjusted regressions, and within each respective group, we explored predictors of cognitive performance. Results showed no significant between-sex differences in cognitive performance, both globally and within domains. Fewer years of education ( β = 0.94), illiteracy ( β = 4.55), and greater food insecurity ( β = −0.28) predicted lower cognitive performance in WWH but not MWH. We conclude that sex differences in PWH are likely due to sample characteristics representing broader inequalities, rather than true biological differences. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:08:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c6c1261220194f3fae65c3b77f9ba9bb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2325-9582 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:08:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care |
| spelling | doaj.art-c6c1261220194f3fae65c3b77f9ba9bb2023-10-03T13:03:22ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care2325-95822023-09-012210.1177/23259582231203192Sex Differences in the Cognitive Performance of a South African Cohort of People With HIV and Comorbid Major Depressive DisorderAnna J. Dreyer PhD0Sam Nightingale PhD1Lena S. Andersen PhD2Jasper S. Lee PhD3Hetta Gouse PhD4Steven A. Safren PhD5Conall O’Cleirigh PhD6Kevin G. F. Thomas PhD7John A. Joska PhD8 HIV Mental Health Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Neuroscience Institute, , South Africa HIV Mental Health Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Neuroscience Institute, , South Africa Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, , Denmark Department of Psychiatry, , Boston, MA, USA Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, , Coral Gables, FL, USA Department of Psychology, , , Coral Gables, FL, USA Department of Psychology, , Boston, MA, USA Applied Cognitive Science and Experimental Neuropsychology Team (ACSENT), Department of Psychology, , South Africa HIV Mental Health Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Neuroscience Institute, , South AfricaWomen with HIV (WWH) may be more vulnerable to cognitive impairment than men with HIV (MWH), which may be explained by the direct effects of HIV or by sociodemographic and psychiatric characteristics. We recruited 105 people with HIV (PWH; 76 women) with incomplete antiretroviral therapy adherence, comorbid major depressive disorder, and socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Participants completed neuropsychological testing and measures gathering sociodemographic, medical, and psychiatric information. We compared WWH and MWH cognitive performance using unadjusted and adjusted regressions, and within each respective group, we explored predictors of cognitive performance. Results showed no significant between-sex differences in cognitive performance, both globally and within domains. Fewer years of education ( β = 0.94), illiteracy ( β = 4.55), and greater food insecurity ( β = −0.28) predicted lower cognitive performance in WWH but not MWH. We conclude that sex differences in PWH are likely due to sample characteristics representing broader inequalities, rather than true biological differences.https://doi.org/10.1177/23259582231203192 |
| spellingShingle | Anna J. Dreyer PhD Sam Nightingale PhD Lena S. Andersen PhD Jasper S. Lee PhD Hetta Gouse PhD Steven A. Safren PhD Conall O’Cleirigh PhD Kevin G. F. Thomas PhD John A. Joska PhD Sex Differences in the Cognitive Performance of a South African Cohort of People With HIV and Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care |
| title | Sex Differences in the Cognitive Performance of a South African Cohort of People With HIV and Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder |
| title_full | Sex Differences in the Cognitive Performance of a South African Cohort of People With HIV and Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder |
| title_fullStr | Sex Differences in the Cognitive Performance of a South African Cohort of People With HIV and Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sex Differences in the Cognitive Performance of a South African Cohort of People With HIV and Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder |
| title_short | Sex Differences in the Cognitive Performance of a South African Cohort of People With HIV and Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder |
| title_sort | sex differences in the cognitive performance of a south african cohort of people with hiv and comorbid major depressive disorder |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23259582231203192 |
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