Executive functions mediate the association between alcohol use and declarative memory symptoms in daily life

Abstract

Alcohol use is associated with memory problems in young adults with HIV, but the cognitive mechanisms of that association are not known. Sixty adults (aged 19-24 years) living with HIV were administered the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test to assess alcohol use, Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function for self-reported executive functions, and the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) for dailiy memory functioning. Controlling for mood, self-reported executive functions fully mediated the relationship between alcohol use and memory (indirect effect b=.568, 95%CI [.209,.888]). Findings suggest that self-reported executive dysregulation of memory processes (e.g., Strategic encoding and retrieval) may drive the effects of alcohol use on daily memory symptoms.

Keywords: Substance use; cognitive symptoms; everyday functioning; infectious disease; neuropsychological assessment.