OBJECTIVE. We compared the pattern of cognitive deficits exhibited by people with schizophrenia at Allen Cognitive Level (ACL) 4 with that of people at Level 5.

METHOD. Participants were classified into two groups on the basis of their ACL Screen scores: ACL 4 (n = 35) and ACL 5 (n = 41). We assessed cognitive functions and psychotic symptoms in all participants.

RESULTS. Multivariate analysis of covariance controlling for gender and negative symptoms revealed that people at ACL 4 performed significantly worse than those at ACL 5 on processing speed, verbal memory, and working memory. The discriminant analysis with all cognitive variables produced a classification accuracy of 78% in differentiation of cognitive levels.

CONCLUSION. We verified the validity of the hierarchy of cognitive disability for ACLs 4 and 5 in people with schizophrenia.

AOTA Taxonomy:
mental and behavioral health
Copyright © 2011 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.
2011
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