The Relative Utility of Three English Language Dominance Measures in Predicting the Neuropsychological Performance of HIV+ Bilingual Latino/a Adults

Abstract

Objective: Given the disproportionate impact of neurologic disorders such as HIV on racial/ethnic minorities, neuropsychologists are increasingly evaluating individuals of diverse linguistic backgrounds. This study compares the utility of two brief and one comprehensive language measure to account for variation in English neuropsychological performance within a bilingual population.

Method: Sixty-two HIV+ English/Spanish bilingual Latino adults completed three language measures in English and Spanish: Self-Reported Language Ability; Verbal Fluency (FAS/PMR); and the Woodcock Munoz Language Survey-Revised (WMLS-R). All participants also completed an English language neuropsychological (NP) battery.

Results: It was hypothesized that the comprehensive English/Spanish WMLS-R language dominance index (LDI) would be significantly correlated with NP performance, as well as the best predictor of NP performance over and above the two brief language measures. Contrary to our hypothesis, the WMLS-R LDI was not significantly correlated to NP performance, whereas the easily administered Verbal Fluency and Self-Report LDIs were each correlated with global NP performance and multiple NP domains. After accounting for Verbal Fluency and Self-Report LDI in a multivariate regression predicting NP performance, the WMLS-R LDI did not provide a unique contribution to the model.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that the more comprehensive WMLS-R does not improve understanding of the effects of language on NP performance in an HIV+ bilingual Latino population.

Keywords:

• Language
• bilingualism
• HIV
• neuropsychology
• Hispanics/Latinos
• Spanish

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Letty Mintz, A.N.P. and Rhonda Burgess, MA; our community partners through the Manhattan HIV Care Network, the Harlem Community Academic Partnership; and most importantly, all of the individuals who participated in this study.

Funding

This research was supported by a K23 from NIMH [grant number K23MH07971801]; Early Career Development Award from the Northeast Consortium for Minority Faculty Development (to MRM) [grant number R24MH59724], [grant number U01MH083501], [grant number N01MH22005]; Clinical Research Center of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine [grant number M01-RR00071].