Positive Psychological Factors Relate to Domain-Specific Cognition and Daily Functioning in Middle-Aged and Older Adults with HIV

Understanding positive psychological factors (PPFs; internal strengths, socioemotional support) that promote optimal health outcomes among people with HIV (PWH) is increasingly important. 122 PWH and 98 people without HIV (PWoH) were included in multivariable regressions, testing interactions between HIV status and PPFs on 7 cognitive domains and 2 daily functioning outcomes, controlling for depressive symptoms. Overall, higher internal strengths were related to better learning and memory, whereas higher socioemotional support was related to better processing speed and psychomotor speed. PWH had a stronger positive relationship between PPFs and verbal fluency than PWoH. Overall, higher internal strengths were associated with fewer daily functioning impairments; however, only PWoH showed fewer functional declines with higher socioemotional support. PWH may require greater socioemotional support to accommodate an increased burden of comorbidities leading to functional difficulties. Among PWH, bolstering PPFs may improve cognition; however, internal strengths may particularly benefit daily functioning.