Executive deficits in schizophrenia are a major concern due to their strong impact on everyday functioning. Clinical neuropsychology offers several types of tools to assess executive functioning, including traditional, naturalistic, and self-rated measures. This study aimed to examine the predictive value of these different executive assessments on daily functional outcomes in schizophrenia patients. 40 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and 52 controls were included. All participants completed traditional executive tests (Digit Span, Trail Making Test, Color Word Interference Test, Verbal Fluency), naturalistic assessments (Paper version of the Errands Test and an alternate version of the Executive Function Performance Test EFPT), and a self-report measure (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version BRIEF-A). Functional status was assessed using the Specific Level of Functioning Scale (SLOF). Results showed that, compared to controls, schizophrenia patients demonstrated lower executive performance and reported greater executive difficulties in daily life. After controlling for potential confounds, only the level of cueing required on the alternate EFPT and the BRIEF-A Global Executive Composite independently predicted functioning, explaining 36% of the variance in the SLOF Activities domain. These findings support the systematic inclusion of naturalistic and self-rated executive measures in neuropsychological assessments, alongside traditional tests, prior to implementing psycho-social interventions in schizophrenia.
Bayard et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: