Correlates of Metamemory in Middle-Aged and Older Adults With and Without HIV in the Deep South: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Alexis R Long, Jasmine Vickers, Jeremy D Delgadillo and 3 others
PMID 41159817WHAT IT FOUND
Depression and race were the strongest links to how accurately older adults judged their own memory.
Those with depression or who underestimated their abilities reported more memory mistakes and less satisfaction. Objective memory impairment rates were similar between HIV-positive and negative groups.
Key findings
01Depression and race were the only significant predictors of metamemory concordance in the multivariable model, while objective memory impairment rates did not differ between HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants.
02Participants with depression or who underestimated their memory abilities reported the poorest memory satisfaction and the most memory mistakes, regardless of their actual objective memory test scores.
03In HIV-positive adults, executive function was the only cognitive domain that independently predicted whether their self-assessment of memory matched objective tests.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design prevents determining whether depression causes poor self-rated memory or vice versa. The study included only middle-aged and older adults (40+ for HIV-positive, 50+ for HIV-negative), so findings may not apply to younger populations. Recruitment was not matched between groups, and HIV-positive participants had lower socioeconomic status and higher rates of depression at baseline, which complicates direct comparisons. The study used a median split to define subjective memory impairment, which is a statistical convention rather than a validated clinical cutoff for the MMQ.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that HIV status itself causes memory impairment or inaccurate self-assessment. The study found that objective memory deficits were equally common in both groups, and differences in self-perception were largely explained by depression and race rather than the virus itself.