| 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 #36
Health Literacy Mediates the Association Between Cognition and Healthcare Provider Interactions Among Men who have Sex with Men
Elliott Gomez, University of Houston, Houston, United States
Andrea Mustafa, University of Houston, Houston, United States
Ilex Beltran-Najera, University of Houston, Houston, United States
Natalie Ridgely, University of Houston, Houston, United States
Jennifer Thompson, University of Houston, Houston, United States
Luis Medina, University of Houston, Houston, United States
Steven Woods, University of Houston, Houston, United States
Category: Inclusion and Diversity/Multiculturalism
Keyword 1: cognitive functioning
Keyword 2: HIV/AIDS
Keyword 3: minority issues
Objective:
Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for the highest rates of incident HIV infection in the U.S., and experience structural, interpersonal, and individual barriers to access and engagement in healthcare services. The patient-provider relationship is important for MSM with HIV whose health outcomes may depend on reliable healthcare engagement, follow-up, and medication adherence. However, interacting with healthcare providers can be one of the most challenging processes for some MSM with HIV disease because of training limitations among health providers, stigma surrounding sexual and gender identity care, and fear of negative consequences. The current study examined the contributions of self-perceived cognitive symptoms, laboratory-based cognitive functioning, and health literacy to the self-efficacy of MSM with HIV in interacting with healthcare providers.
Participants and Methods:
The sample included 100 adults with HIV disease (ages 24-75) who identified as MSM. All participants completed the Dealing with Health Professionals subscale of the Beliefs Related to Medication Adherence questionnaire, as well as the Cogstate neuropsychological battery, self-report measures of cognitive symptoms, and well-validated measures of health literacy including the Newest Vital Sign and Brief Health Literacy Scale.
Results:
Worse performance-based cognitive functioning (95% CI [.08, .51]) and more frequent self-reported cognitive symptoms (95% CI [-5.43, -0.89]) were both associated with lower self-efficacy for dealing with healthcare providers, but these associations were fully mediated by lower health literacy. Specifically, individuals with higher cognitive symptoms were expected to obtain scores 2.91 points lower than individuals with less reported cognitive symptoms on the BERMA DWHP, through the mediating effect of health literacy. Likewise, individuals with higher cognitive ability were expected to obtain scores .27 points higher than individuals with lower cognitive ability on the BERMA DWHP scale, through the mediating effect of health literacy.
Conclusions:
Health literacy may play a role in the association between poorer cognitive functioning and difficulties navigating healthcare interactions among MSM with HIV. Further studies are needed to determine whether cognitive approaches to enhancing the access, understanding, and use of health information in MSM with HIV disease improve healthcare interactions and outcomes.
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