Neurocognitive, Sociocultural, and Psychological Factors Impacting Medication Beliefs Among HIV-Seropositive Latinx Adults

Among Latinx people living with HIV (PLWH), neurocognitive (NC) function, culture, and mental health impact medication adherence. Similarly, health beliefs and attitudes play a role in health care barriers and health behaviors. Research has not examined the effect that compromised neurocognition, sociocultural factors, and mental health have on health beliefs and attitudes. This is especially relevant for Latinx PLWH who are disproportionately impacted by HIV, given that sociocultural factors may uniquely impact HIV-related NC and psychological sequelae. This study investigated the associations between neurocognition, sociocultural factors, mental health, health beliefs, and health attitudes among Latinx HIV-seropositive adults. Within a sample of 100 Latinx PLWH, better verbal learning and executive functioning abilities were associated with more positive attitudes about the benefits of medications and memory for medications. In terms of sociocultural factors, higher English language competence was related to better self-reported memory for medications, and overall, higher US acculturation was associated with more positive attitudes toward health professionals. Depressive symptomatology was negatively associated with attitudes toward medications and health professionals, as well as with self-reported memory for medications. These findings highlight the important interplay between NC, sociocultural, psychological factors, and health beliefs among Latinx PLWH. Adherence intervention strategies and suggestions for dispensing medical information are presented for clinicians and health care practitioners.