The Effects of Anger on Psychomotor Performance in Adults with HIV

To investigate predictors of cognitive functioning, 46 HIV-positive adults were assessed on physiological, psychomotor, and affective variables. Using age, six mood domains measured by the Profile of Mood States, CD4+ lymphocyte count, and HIV-1 RNA viral count as independent predictors and Trails A and B and Grooved Pegboard as dependent variables of psychomotor performance, stepwise regressions revealed that only anger was a significant predictor of cognitive impairment. Implications for further studies examining the effects of negative affect on psychomotor performance are specified. Suggestions of how cognitive-behavioral stress management can be used as a potential intervention to decrease anger and negative affect and improve mental health and cognition are provided.