Aging, prospective memory, and health-related quality of life in HIV infection

AIDS Behav. 2012 Nov;16(8):2309-18. doi: 10.1007/s10461-011-0121-x.

Abstract

HIV infection and older age are each independently associated with lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and deficits in prospective memory (PM), which is a distinct aspect of cognition involving the ability to "remember to remember" to do something at a future occasion. The present study investigated associations between PM and HRQoL in 72 older (≥ 50 years) and 41 younger (≤ 40 years) HIV-infected adults. Self-reported PM complaints predicted HRQoL across the entire sample, but there was a significant interaction between performance-based PM and age group on HRQoL, such that lower time-based PM was associated with lower HRQoL only in the younger cohort. Within the younger group, time-based and self-reported PM significantly predicted mental HRQoL independent of other risk factors (e.g. depression). These findings suggest that PM plays a unique role in HRQoL outcomes among younger persons living with HIV infection and support the examination of other age-related factors (e.g. effective use of compensatory strategies) that may regulate the adverse impact of PM on everyday functioning.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aging / physiology
  • Aging / psychology*
  • California
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / diagnosis
  • HIV Infections / psychology*
  • Health Status
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Memory, Episodic*
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Quality of Life / psychology*
  • Regression Analysis
  • Risk Factors
  • Self Report
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Time Factors
  • Young Adult