The Relationship between the Diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Executive Functions in School Age Children

Abstract

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects not only adults, but also children, many of whom are infected in the perinatal period and suffer the consequences throughout their development. One of the areas of cognition frequently adversely affected by the presence of HIV is intellectual functioning. However, although conceptually akin to intelligence, executive functions encompass a wider range of abilities and skills. The purpose of this study was to determine if executive functions, as such, are impaired in children who are HIV infected. A sample of 60 children between the ages of 6 and 12 years participated in this study. The performance of 30 HIV infected children in an instrument designed for the assessment of executive functions in school age children (ENFEN) was compared with the performance of a group of 30 healthy controls, matched for age, gender, and socio-economic status. The results revealed impairments in HIV infected children across all executive functions assessed.