THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COGNITIVE ABILITY, SELF-AWARENESS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULTS WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE

Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects one in 365 African-Americans in the United States. Yet little is known about the effects of SCD on either cognitive ability or quality of life (QOL). Sickle cell related complications are believed to effect level of depressive symptoms, activities of daily living, education, and employability. These variables in combination with a suspected lack of self-awareness likely have a significant contribution to the QOL of adults with SCD (Goverover, Chiaravalloti, & DeLuca, 2005; Goverover, Chiaravalloti, Gaudino-Goering, Moore, & DeLuca, 2009). To date there is no comprehensive model to explain the relationship between cognitive ability, selfawareness, and psychosocial variables unique to the SCD population. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting overall QOL in adults with SCD and to examine the effect of cognitive ability, activities of daily living, and self-awareness as variables related to QOL. These variables were explored together and individually in a sample of 76 African-American participants with SCD and between the ages of 18 and 65, to determine the relationship of these variables to QOL. Educational variables and depressive symptoms were also examined. Only depressive symptoms were significantly related to QOL. No other variables were associated with QOL nor were other statistically significant relationships found. Additional research on this population is needed to better determine the relationship between cognitive ability, depressive symptoms, and QOL and to better understand how and when to best intervene to improve QOL in adults with SCD.Ph.D. in Psychology, July 201