Published in:
01-06-2016
Health-Related Decision-Making in HIV Disease
Authors:
Katie L. Doyle, Steven Paul Woods, Erin E. Morgan, Jennifer E. Iudicello, Marizela V. Cameron, Paul E. Gilbert, Jessica Beltran, The HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP) Group
Published in:
Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings
|
Issue 2/2016
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Abstract
Individuals living with HIV show moderate decision-making deficits, though no prior studies have evaluated the ability to make optimal health-related decisions across the HIV healthcare continuum. Forty-three HIV+ individuals with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND+), 50 HIV+ individuals without HAND (HAND−), and 42 HIV− participants were administered two measures of health-related decision-making as part of a comprehensive neuropsychological battery: (1) The Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS), and (2) The Modified UCSD Brief Assessment for Capacity to Consent (UBACC-T). Multiple regression analyses revealed that HAND was an independent predictor of both the DCS and the UBACC-T, such that the HAND+ sample evidenced significantly poorer scores relative to comparison groups. Within the HIV+ sample, poorer health-related decision-making was associated with worse performance on tests of episodic memory, risky decision-making, and health literacy. Findings indicate that individuals with HAND evidence moderate deficits in effectively comprehending and evaluating various health-related choices.