Emotional Loneliness Is Related to Objective Cognitive Function in Older People With HIV in the Washington-Baltimore Area: A Cross-sectional Study

J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2024 Nov-Dec 01;35(6):519-529. doi: 10.1097/JNC.0000000000000491. Epub 2024 Aug 13.

ABSTRACT

Loneliness confers a significant risk to numerous health outcomes, including cognitive impairment. This study assessed the relationship between loneliness subtypes (social and emotional) and cognition in older people with HIV (OPWH ≥ 50 years). Forty-two participants (STET = 61.5 years; 48% male; 74% Black) completed the six-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and measures assessing objective and subjective cognition and depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]). Loneliness-cognition associations were examined using linear regression. Models were first adjusted for age, sex, race, and education, and then PHQ-9 score. Mean emotional and social loneliness scores were 1.24 (SD = 1.22) and 1.21 (SD = 1.14), respectively. After sociodemographic and PHQ-9 adjustment, emotional, but not social, loneliness was associated with poorer objective cognitive performance on processing speed (Digit Symbol) and executive function (CalCAP™). Findings have potential clinical importance for interventions that target specific loneliness subtypes to optimize cognitive performance in OPWH.

PMID:40845141 | DOI:10.1097/JNC.0000000000000491