INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 11 Program Schedule 02/17/2024 10:45 am - 12:00 pm Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 11: Cultural Neuropsychology \| Education/Training \| Professional Practice Issues Final Abstract #11 Verbal Memory and Fluency Performance Differences in Hispanic Older Adults Living in Mexico Versus the United States Ayushi Agrawal, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States Benjamin Hougaard, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States Jamie Keifer, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States Jas Chok, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States Brandon Jennings, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States Namasvi Jariwala, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States Lizeth Sotelo, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States Rowena Gomez, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States Category: Cross Cultural Neuropsychology/ Clinical Cultural Neuroscience Keyword 1: normative data Keyword 2: neurocognition Keyword 3: memory: normal Objective: Spanish-speaking Hispanic adults have been found to perform worse than English-speaking non-Hispanic populations living in the United States (US) on measures of fluid cognition (Flores et al., 2017). Flores et al. (2017) attributed this to cultural differences, including acculturation and participants’ experiences. To the authors’ knowledge, there is a gap in research comparing cultural factors, such as country of residence, on cognitive performance in Hispanic older adults. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine differences in verbal memory and fluency between Hispanic older adults residing in Mexico and the US, after controlling for age and years of education. Participants and Methods: Harmonized data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) provided by the Gateway to Global Aging data were used (Sonnega et al., 2014; Wong et al., 2015). The HRS sample had 5,214 participants (Mage= 61.17 years; Medu= 9.49 years, 56.3% women), and the MHAS sample had 26,839 participants (Mage= 64.33 years; Medu= 6.10 years, 56.1% women). Verbal memory was assessed through immediate and delayed word recall (HRS: 10-word list; MHAS: 8-word list) and raw scores were converted into z-scores. Verbal fluency was assessed through the animal naming task. Age at interview and years of education were also examined. Results: Analyses of variance indicated that older adults in Mexico were significantly older in age (F(1,18677) = 212.882, partial eta-squared = 0.011, p < 0.001) and had lower education (F(1,31666) = 1977.236, p < 0.001; partial eta-squared. = 0.059) than older adults in the US. Despite this, after controlling for age and years of education, analyses of covariances indicated that Hispanic older adults in Mexico performed better than those in the US on measures of immediate memory (F(1,17128) = 382.463, partial eta-squared = 0.022, p < 0.001), delayed memory (F(1,17128) =259.275, partial eta-squared = 0.015, p < 0.001), and animal naming (F(1,17118) = 301.089, partial eta-squared = 0.017, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrated significant differences in verbal memory and fluency performances in Hispanic older adults residing in Mexico as compared to those in the US after controlling for age and education. Possible reasons why performances were lower in the US older adults include the detrimental effects of minority stress and acculturation on cognition (Forrester et al., 2019; Stinchcombe & Hammond, 2022). The methodological difference of two more words in the verbal memory list task in the HRS compared to the MHAS may also explain these results. Significant differences observed in verbal memory and fluency measures suggest a need for more comparable cognitive measures when examining differences between nations to replicate the current findings. Furthermore, this study also suggests that clinicians should consider the country of residence as a cultural factor when interpreting the cognitive performances of Hispanic older adults from different countries.

Poster

02/17/2024
10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 11: Cultural Neuropsychology | Education/Training | Professional Practice Issues

Final Abstract #11

Verbal Memory and Fluency Performance Differences in Hispanic Older Adults Living in Mexico Versus the United States

Ayushi Agrawal, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States
Benjamin Hougaard, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States
Jamie Keifer, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States
Jas Chok, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States
Brandon Jennings, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States
Namasvi Jariwala, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States
Lizeth Sotelo, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States
Rowena Gomez, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States

Category: Cross Cultural Neuropsychology/ Clinical Cultural Neuroscience

Keyword 1: normative data
Keyword 2: neurocognition
Keyword 3: memory: normal

Objective:

Spanish-speaking Hispanic adults have been found to perform worse than English-speaking non-Hispanic populations living in the United States (US) on measures of fluid cognition (Flores et al., 2017). Flores et al. (2017) attributed this to cultural differences, including acculturation and participants’ experiences. To the authors’ knowledge, there is a gap in research comparing cultural factors, such as country of residence, on cognitive performance in Hispanic older adults. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine differences in verbal memory and fluency between Hispanic older adults residing in Mexico and the US, after controlling for age and years of education.

Participants and Methods:

Harmonized data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) provided by the Gateway to Global Aging data were used (Sonnega et al., 2014; Wong et al., 2015). The HRS sample had 5,214 participants (Mage= 61.17 years; Medu= 9.49 years, 56.3% women), and the MHAS sample had 26,839 participants (Mage= 64.33 years; Medu= 6.10 years, 56.1% women). Verbal memory was assessed through immediate and delayed word recall (HRS: 10-word list; MHAS: 8-word list) and raw scores were converted into z-scores. Verbal fluency was assessed through the animal naming task. Age at interview and years of education were also examined.

Results:

Analyses of variance indicated that older adults in Mexico were significantly older in age (F(1,18677) = 212.882, partial eta-squared = 0.011, p < 0.001) and had lower education (F(1,31666) = 1977.236, p < 0.001; partial eta-squared. = 0.059) than older adults in the US. Despite this, after controlling for age and years of education, analyses of covariances indicated that Hispanic older adults in Mexico performed better than those in the US on measures of immediate memory (F(1,17128) = 382.463, partial eta-squared = 0.022, p < 0.001), delayed memory (F(1,17128) =259.275, partial eta-squared = 0.015, p < 0.001), and animal naming (F(1,17118) = 301.089, partial eta-squared = 0.017, p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

This study demonstrated significant differences in verbal memory and fluency performances in Hispanic older adults residing in Mexico as compared to those in the US after controlling for age and education. Possible reasons why performances were lower in the US older adults include the detrimental effects of minority stress and acculturation on cognition (Forrester et al., 2019; Stinchcombe & Hammond, 2022). The methodological difference of two more words in the verbal memory list task in the HRS compared to the MHAS may also explain these results. Significant differences observed in verbal memory and fluency measures suggest a need for more comparable cognitive measures when examining differences between nations to replicate the current findings. Furthermore, this study also suggests that clinicians should consider the country of residence as a cultural factor when interpreting the cognitive performances of Hispanic older adults from different countries.