title: Base rate of Hiscock Digit Memory Test failure in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.
abstract: There is an emergent need for base rate data on symptom validity tests (SVTs) in clinical populations that are likely to seek disability benefits. The inclusion of HIV under the Americans with Disabilities Act has prompted many persons with HIV-1 infection to apply for disability, which raises the concern that a subset of these individuals might feign cognitive deficits to obtain benefits. This brief report provides base rate data on one SVT, the Hiscock Digit Memory Test (HDMT), in a sample of 82 non-compensation-seeking, neuropsychologically impaired participants who met diagnostic criteria for an HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder. Approximately 98% of individuals with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders performed above an established HDMT cutoff for suboptimal effort (i.e., HDMT> or =90% accuracy), whilst 95% of the sample obtained perfect scores. Clinicians can therefore be confident that, in the absence of severe dementia or amnesia, HDMT scores below standard cutoffs are unlikely to be solely attributable to HIV-associated cognitive impairment.
authors.affiliation: The HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center, Department of psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA 92103, USA. spwoods@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Steven Paul
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Conover
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weinborn
authors.forename: Julie D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Rippeth
authors.forename: R Michelle
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Brill
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Heaton
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grant
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results