Objective

To determine the influence of major depressive disorders (MDD) on the cognitive function of adults living with HIV and the prevalence of neurocognitive impairment and major depressive disorders.

Methods

The study was a cross-sectional design conducted in a referral hospital in Dodoma region central Tanzania, with a sample of 397 participants attained through systematic sampling. Neurocognitive impairment was assessed by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), while MDD was assessed using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I). Two-sample independent t-tests were done to compute the significance of the mean change of MoCA score between those with or without MDD. Univariate and multivariate ordinal logistic regression models were computed to determine the association between MDD and neurocognitive impairment across all cognitive domains.

Results

Of 397 recruited participants, 266 (66.00%) met the criteria for neurocognitive disorder and 22 (5.51%) had major depressive disorder. Participants with MDD performed significantly poorer on cognitive testing than those without MDD (mean difference=3.74, p-value= 0.0009). Under univariate ordinal regression, impairments in the particular domains of visuospatial-executive function, attention, language, abstraction, and orientation were significantly associated with MDD and abstraction (AOR: 3.922, 95%CI: 1.546, 9.947, P=0.0004) remained significant under multivariable regression.

Conclusion

Major depressive disorder may negatively influence neurocognitive performance in both severity and pattern of presentation. Routine screening for depressive symptoms in HIV care can be beneficial for the overall patient's outcome. Systematic and well-designed studies in the area are crucial for understanding the interaction of neuropsychiatric disorders in the HIV population.