Psychometrics and Validity of the Survey of Memory-Related Quality of Life in HIV Disease

Prospective memory is associated with aspects of disability and quality of life in people with epilepsy

INTRODUCTION

Episodic memory disruptions in epilepsy stem from shared neurocircuitry. While prior research has focused on retrospective memory (RM), prospective memory (PM; i.e. remembering to remember) also deserves consideration given its critical role in the management of daily activities. The current investigation assessed whether PM is associated with disability and quality of life in people with epilepsy.

METHODS

This cross-sectional, correlational study included a consecutive series of 50 people with epilepsy presenting for neuropsychological evaluation who completed the Royal Prince Alfred Prospective Memory Test (RPA) and Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) and 63 demographically comparable healthy adults. The participants with epilepsy also completed clinical measures of neuropsychological ability and questionnaires assessing disability and quality of life.

RESULTS

People with epilepsy had significantly more frequent memory symptoms as compared to healthy adults at a very large effect size. Worse mood was associated with lower PM ability at a medium effect size and more frequent PM symptoms at a large effect size. A hierarchical linear regression indicated that PM explained 52% of the variance in disability and 43% of the variance in quality of life after accounting for RM ability.

CONCLUSIONS

PM is associated with poorer everyday functioning among people with epilepsy and shows evidence of incremental value beyond RM ability in that regard. Future studies are needed to understand the complex pathways from PM to functional limitations to inform clinical intervention.

The mediation effect of treatment fatigue in the association between memory and health-related quality of life in men with HIV who have sex with men

Approximately half of all adults living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) experience cognitive alterations related to difficulties in treatment adherence and, therefore, to a significant decrease in quality of life. In this sense, new studies are needed to identify potential mediators related to treatment in this association, such as treatment fatigue. This fact is especially important in at specific groups of individuals with HIV, namely men with HIV who have sex with men (MSM). The objective of this study was to analyze the association between cognitive functioning, Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), and treatment fatigue in MSM with HIV. A cross-sectional study was developed with a sample of 70 MSM, from the Infectious Diseases Unit of the General University Hospital of Alicante (Spain). Participants completed questionnaires related to sociodemographic data, HRQoL, and treatment fatigue in an initial phase; in a second phase, they were administered a computerized cognitive evaluation. Our results demonstrate a significant relationship between a lower cognitive performance in the memory domain and worse HRQoL. Mediation analysis has revealed the total mediation effect of treatment fatigue, specifically, the treatment cynicism domain, on this relationship. This mediation effect remained significant after controlling the sociodemographic and clinical HIV-related variables in the model. No significant mediation effects of the rest of evaluated cognitive domains (attention, perception, reasoning, or coordination) were found in this relationship. The results of this study highlight how MSM with a significant deterioration of memory are at greater risk of developing high levels of treatment fatigue, and, therefore, a lower adherence to the same and a significant deterioration in their HRQoL.

Self-inflicted violence and suicide in people living with HIV/AIDS: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

to analyze intellectual productions on self-inflicted violence and suicide in people living with HIV/AIDS.

METHODS

a systematic review, carried out between March and April 2021, in the PubMed®/MEDLINE®, Web of Science and LILACS databases, subsidized in the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology. The period outlined was from 2011 to 2020.

RESULTS

a total of 199 studies were identified, and 16 composed the final sample, grouped into the categories: Sociodemographic characteristics of victims of self-inflicted violence/suicide and their intervening factors (pointing to young adults, especially homosexuals, with low social support and a history of mental illness or substance abuse as usual victims); Successful measures for suicide prevention/control in people living with HIV/AIDS (suggesting more frequent psychosocial and clinical follow-up of those starting antiretroviral and immunocompromised treatment).

CONCLUSIONS

biopsychosocial follow-up, analysis of sociodemographic profile and intervening factors should be frequent in this population for disease prevention/control.

Violência autoprovocada e suicídio em pessoas que vivem com HIV/AIDS: revisão sistemática

RESUMO Objetivos: analisar as produções intelectuais sobre a violência autoprovocada e suicídio em pessoas que vivem com HIV/AIDS. Métodos: revisão sistemática, realizada entre março e abril de 2021, nas bases PubMed®/MEDLINE®, Web of Science e LILACS, subsidiada no instrumento Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology. O período delineado foi de 2011 a 2020. Resultados: identificaram-se 199 estudos, e 16 compuseram a amostra final, sendo agrupados nas categorias: Características sociodemográficas das vítimas de violência autoprovocada/suicídio e seus fatores intervenientes (apontando adultos jovens, especialmente homossexuais, com baixo suporte social e histórico de doenças mentais ou abuso de substâncias como as vítimas usuais); Medidas exitosas para prevenção/controle de suicídio em pessoas vivendo com HIV/AIDS (sugerindo acompanhamento psicossocial e clínico mais frequente daqueles em início de tratamento antirretroviral e imunodeprimidos). Conclusões: acompanhamento biopsicossocial, análise do perfil sociodemográfico e dos fatores intervenientes devem ser frequentes nesta população, para prevenção/controle do agravo.