Neurocognitive functioning in hispanic and non-hispanic individuals in rural West Texas and the influence of sociodemographic factors

Several sociodemographic factors are known to influence neurocognitive functioning; however, little is known about their effects on Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between age, educational attainment, and Hispanic ethnicity on neurocognitive functioning in a sample of persons aged 40-96 living in rural West Texas. Our sample consisted of 1,341 participants (709 Hispanics, 632 non-Hispanics, M_age = 58.69 years, SD_age = 11.95) who completed demographic and depression questionnaires, neurocognitive evaluations (i.e., the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, Trail Making Test, and Clock Drawing), and a standardized medical examination. MANCOVAs revealed significant multivariate effects of ethnicity, age, education, income, and depression. Lower age and higher education were significantly associated with better neurocognitive functioning. Additionally, educational attainment and being younger were found to be more protective regarding executive functioning for non-Hispanic individuals compared to Hispanic individuals. These results warrant further investigation of robust risk and protective factors for neurocognitive functioning in Hispanic individuals as they appear to differ from non-Hispanic individuals, possibly due to the systematic biases and cumulative stressors that Hispanic individuals face, specifically within a rural environment.