Multidimensional effects of acculturation on English-language neuropsychological test performance among HIV+ Caribbean Latinas/os

J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2012;34(8):814-25. doi: 10.1080/13803395.2012.683856. Epub 2012 May 25.

Abstract

Acculturation has been linked to neuropsychological performance in several ethnic groups. However, research among Latina/o samples has examined primarily Mexicans/Mexican Americans and has not examined Latina/o clinical populations of Caribbean descent. This study examined associations between a multidimensional acculturation measure and neuropsychological performance among 82 HIV+ Caribbean Latina/o adults. Multivariate results showed that US acculturation significantly predicted 11-14% of the variance in global neuropsychological functioning, verbal fluency, and processing speed, whereas Latina/o acculturation predicted 6-8% of the variance in motor and executive function (trend level associations). Both linguistic and nonlinguistic cultural factors had distinct effects on neuropsychological performance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Acculturation*
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Cognition Disorders / epidemiology
  • Cognition Disorders / etiology*
  • Executive Function
  • Female
  • HIV Infections* / complications
  • HIV Infections* / epidemiology
  • HIV Infections* / psychology
  • Hispanic or Latino / ethnology
  • Hispanic or Latino / psychology*
  • Humans
  • Language*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Verbal Behavior / physiology
  • Young Adult