Influence of Educational Background, Childhood Socioeconomic Environment, and Language Use on Cognition among Spanish-Speaking Latinos Living Near the US-Mexico Border

Lily Kamalyan; Lesley A Guareña; Mirella Díaz-Santos; Paola Suarez; Mariana Cherner; Marlen Y García Alcorn; Anya Umlauf; Donald R Franklin; Monica Rivera Mindt; Lidia Artiola I Fortuny; Robert K Heaton; María J Marquine

doi:10.1017/S1355617721001028

Influence of Educational Background, Childhood Socioeconomic Environment, and Language Use on Cognition among Spanish-Speaking Latinos Living Near the US-Mexico Border

J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2022 Sep;28(8):876-890. doi: 10.1017/S1355617721001028. Epub 2021 Sep 6.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
² San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA.
³ Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Care, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Hispanic Neuropsychiatric Center of Excellence, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁵ Advancing Diversity through Aging Research Program, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
⁶ Department of Psychology & Latino American and Latino Studies Institute, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA.
⁷ Private Practice, Tucson, AZ, USA.

Abstract

Objectives: We investigated the impact of culturally relevant social, educational, and language factors on cognitive test performance among Spanish speakers living near the US-Mexico border.

Methods: Participants included 254 healthy native Spanish speakers from the Neuropsychological Norms for the US-Mexico Border Region in Spanish (NP-NUMBRS) project (Age: M = 37.3, SD = 10.4; Education: M = 10.7, SD = 4.3; 59% Female). A comprehensive neuropsychological battery was administered in Spanish. Individual test scaled scores and T-scores (based on region-specific norms adjusted for age, education, and sex) were averaged to create Global Mean Scaled and T-scores. Measures of culturally relevant factors included a self-reported indicator of educational quality/access (proportion of education in Spanish-speaking country, quality of school/classroom setting, stopped attending school to work), childhood socioeconomic environment (parental education, proportion of time living in Spanish-speaking country, childhood socioeconomic and health status, access to basic resources, work as a child), and Spanish/English language use and fluency.

Results: Several culturally relevant variables were significantly associated with unadjusted Global Scaled Scores in univariable analyses. When using demographically adjusted T-scores, fewer culturally relevant characteristics were significant. In multivariable analyses, being bilingual (p = .04) and working as a child for one's own benefit compared to not working as a child (p = .006) were significantly associated with higher Global Mean T-score, accounting for 9% of variance.

Conclusions: Demographically adjusted normative data provide a useful tool for the identification of brain dysfunction, as these account for much of the variance of sociocultural factors on cognitive test performance. Yet, certain culturally relevant variables still contributed to cognitive test performance above and beyond basic demographics, warranting further investigation.

Keywords: Assessment; Education; Language; Neurocognition; Sociocultural; Spanish-speaking.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Cognition
Educational Status
Female
Hispanic or Latino*
Humans
Language*
Male
Mexico
Neuropsychological Tests

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

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