In the next few decades, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease within the Hispanic community is projected to experience a significant and disproportionate growth compared to other minorities and non-minorities. This underscores the importance of understanding the factors contributing to cognitive health disparities in the population. Stress, Trust, and Healthcare Among Older Latinos investigates how perceived stress and trust in healthcare providers manifests in a sample population experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI). 

A total of 23 Spanish language-dominant individuals, aged 55 and older, were recruited from the Tiempo Juntos physical intervention study. Telephone-based interviews were conducted to acquire comprehensive data concerning perceived stress and the extent of the participants’ reliance in their healthcare providers. Perceived stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), a 14-item tool designed to gauge individual perceptions of life circumstances. Concurrently, trust in healthcare providers was assessed via the Trust in Provider Scale (TPS), an 11-item questionnaire capturing multifaceted dimensions of provider trust. This investigation also encompassed the collection of baseline demographics, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores, and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scores, serving to depict the sample population. 

Although the study’s findings could not establish a direct correlation linking perceived stress, provider trust, and cognitive health due to the ongoing status of the Tiempo Juntos study, it nonetheless elucidates the intricacy of sociocultural stressors and their ramifications within minority populations. Contrary to expectations and prior research, the sample population reported higher levels of provider trust and average perceived stress. This trend emphasized the unique circumstances that potentially influenced the sample’s results, including lower educational attainment and extended residence within the community. Lower education levels may have contributed to lower MoCA scores, consequently impacting the overall sample average, while the longer residency may have enabled participants to establish enduring and trusting patient-physician relationships.  

This research poster highlights the importance of addressing minority stress. Several participants recounted negative encounters with their healthcare providers, expressing challenges stemming from insufficient access to quality healthcare, linguistic barriers, and feeling as though their healthcare providers did not care for them. These findings show the importance of fostering trust and reducing stress to improve disparities to cognitive and overall health within the Latino community.