INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 08 Program Schedule 02/16/2024 01:45 pm - 03:00 pm Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 08: Cognition \| Cognitive Reserve Variables Final Abstract #8 The Moderating Effects of Trauma on the Relationship Between Neighborhood Deprivation and Cognitive Functioning Namitasai Ande, The George Washington University, Washington, United States Arjun Ray, The George Washington University, Washington, United States Blakely Murphy, The George Washington University, Washington, United States Antonio Puente, The George Washington University, Washington, United States Category: Cross Cultural Neuropsychology/ Clinical Cultural Neuroscience Keyword 1: cognitive control Keyword 2: visuospatial functions Keyword 3: cross-cultural issues Objective: In clinical neuropsychology, socioecological factors influencing cognitive test performance are of growing interest. Recent research identifies neighborhood deprivation (Zuelsdorff, 2020) and trauma (Petkus et al., 2018) as predictive of cognitive impairments and poorer scores on neuropsychological evaluations. Recent work has primarily examined the independent effects of neighborhood deprivation (Busch et al., 2013; McCann et al., 2018) and trauma (Hayes et al., 2012) on cognition, leaving a gap in understanding their combined predictive potential. This chart review study bridges this gap by testing the moderating effects of trauma exposure on associations between neighborhood deprivation, as measured by the Area Deprivation Index (ADI; Kind & Buckingham, 2018), and neurocognitive functioning across seven domains. Findings have the potential to shed light on health disparities relevant to neuropsychologists and underscore the importance of culturally sensitive neuropsychological assessment. Participants and Methods: Retrospective data were collected via electronic medical records from a diverse sample of adults (N=276; M age=55; 64%=female; 44%=White) who resided in the DMV (Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia) Area and underwent neuropsychological testing from 2016-2023. ADI scores, indicating a standardized measure of neighborhood deprivation (Range=1-100), were derived from patients' addresses using 17 socioeconomic indicators (e.g., poverty rate, education, housing conditions); higher ADI scores indicate greater deprivation, while lower scores suggest affluence. During patients’ neuropsychological assessments, a board-certified neuropsychologist examined patients’ exposure to traumatic events, defined as actual/threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The battery included 14 neuropsychological tests that assessed six cognitive domains: attention (BTA,DS-III), memory (BVMT-R,HVLT-R,WMS-LM,PMT), visuospatial ability (RCFT,BFRT), language (CIFA,BNT), processing speed (GPT,TMT-A), and executive functioning (WCST,TMT-B); raw scores were converted to z-scores and averaged to create each cognitive domain index score, as used in Lamar et al. (2023). Global cognitive function was derived by averaging patients’ z-scores across all six domains. Seven multiple regressions were performed to test the interactive effects of ADI and trauma in predicting patients’ performance in each domain. Results: Results of multiple regression analyses partially supported the hypothesized moderating effect of trauma on the ADI-cognitive domain relationship. Trauma only moderated the relationship between ADI and both the global cognitive function (b=-0.020, p=0.041) and visuospatial (b=-0.014, p=0.021) indices. The indirect association between ADI and global cognitive functioning/visuospatial ability was significantly stronger for those with trauma exposure, even after controlling for covariates (e.g., gender, race, education, age); as ADI score increased, test performance in the aforementioned domains significantly declined if trauma was endorsed. Conclusions: Exploring the intricate interplay between trauma, ADI, and cognition is a crucial, yet underexplored, avenue of research. This study demonstrated the interactive effects between trauma and ADI in predicting global cognitive function and visuospatial abilities. Analyses suggest that trauma exposure compounds the negative impact of neighborhood deprivation on global cognition and visuospatial abilities, independent of gender, race, education, and age. Such findings underscore the importance of considering various socioecological factors in neuropsychological evaluations and test development. As the research landscape continues to evolve, these insights will likely offer valuable guidance for clinicians and policymakers striving to enhance the cognitive health of individuals within underserved communities.

Poster

02/16/2024
01:45 pm - 03:00 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 08: Cognition | Cognitive Reserve Variables

Final Abstract #8

The Moderating Effects of Trauma on the Relationship Between Neighborhood Deprivation and Cognitive Functioning

Namitasai Ande, The George Washington University, Washington, United States
Arjun Ray, The George Washington University, Washington, United States
Blakely Murphy, The George Washington University, Washington, United States
Antonio Puente, The George Washington University, Washington, United States

Category: Cross Cultural Neuropsychology/ Clinical Cultural Neuroscience

Keyword 1: cognitive control
Keyword 2: visuospatial functions
Keyword 3: cross-cultural issues

Objective:

In clinical neuropsychology, socioecological factors influencing cognitive test performance are of growing interest. Recent research identifies neighborhood deprivation (Zuelsdorff, 2020) and trauma (Petkus et al., 2018) as predictive of cognitive impairments and poorer scores on neuropsychological evaluations. Recent work has primarily examined the independent effects of neighborhood deprivation (Busch et al., 2013; McCann et al., 2018) and trauma (Hayes et al., 2012) on cognition, leaving a gap in understanding their combined predictive potential. This chart review study bridges this gap by testing the moderating effects of trauma exposure on associations between neighborhood deprivation, as measured by the Area Deprivation Index (ADI; Kind & Buckingham, 2018), and neurocognitive functioning across seven domains. Findings have the potential to shed light on health disparities relevant to neuropsychologists and underscore the importance of culturally sensitive neuropsychological assessment.

Participants and Methods:

Retrospective data were collected via electronic medical records from a diverse sample of adults (N=276; M age=55; 64%=female; 44%=White) who resided in the DMV (Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia) Area and underwent neuropsychological testing from 2016-2023. ADI scores, indicating a standardized measure of neighborhood deprivation (Range=1-100), were derived from patients' addresses using 17 socioeconomic indicators (e.g., poverty rate, education, housing conditions); higher ADI scores indicate greater deprivation, while lower scores suggest affluence. During patients’ neuropsychological assessments, a board-certified neuropsychologist examined patients’ exposure to traumatic events, defined as actual/threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The battery included 14 neuropsychological tests that assessed six cognitive domains: attention (BTA,DS-III), memory (BVMT-R,HVLT-R,WMS-LM,PMT), visuospatial ability (RCFT,BFRT), language (CIFA,BNT), processing speed (GPT,TMT-A), and executive functioning (WCST,TMT-B); raw scores were converted to z-scores and averaged to create each cognitive domain index score, as used in Lamar et al. (2023). Global cognitive function was derived by averaging patients’ z-scores across all six domains. Seven multiple regressions were performed to test the interactive effects of ADI and trauma in predicting patients’ performance in each domain.

Results:

Results of multiple regression analyses partially supported the hypothesized moderating effect of trauma on the ADI-cognitive domain relationship. Trauma only moderated the relationship between ADI and both the global cognitive function (b=-0.020, p=0.041) and visuospatial (b=-0.014, p=0.021) indices. The indirect association between ADI and global cognitive functioning/visuospatial ability was significantly stronger for those with trauma exposure, even after controlling for covariates (e.g., gender, race, education, age); as ADI score increased, test performance in the aforementioned domains significantly declined if trauma was endorsed.

Conclusions:

Exploring the intricate interplay between trauma, ADI, and cognition is a crucial, yet underexplored, avenue of research. This study demonstrated the interactive effects between trauma and ADI in predicting global cognitive function and visuospatial abilities. Analyses suggest that trauma exposure compounds the negative impact of neighborhood deprivation on global cognition and visuospatial abilities, independent of gender, race, education, and age. Such findings underscore the importance of considering various socioecological factors in neuropsychological evaluations and test development. As the research landscape continues to evolve, these insights will likely offer valuable guidance for clinicians and policymakers striving to enhance the cognitive health of individuals within underserved communities.