Amendment of traditional assessment measures for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
Por:
Farreny A, Usall J, Cuevas-Esteban J, Ochoa S and Brebion G
Publicada:
1 mar 2018
Ahead of Print:
3 feb 2018
Categoría:
Psychiatry and mental health
Resumen:
Schizophrenia research based on traditional assessment measures for negative symptoms appears to be, to some extent, unreliable. The limitations of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) have been extensively acknowledged and should be taken into account. The aim of this study is to show how the PANSS and the SANS conflate negative symptoms and cognition and to offer alternatives for the limitations found. METHODS: A sample of 117 participants with schizophrenia from two independent studies was retrospectively investigated. Linear regression models were computed to explore the effect of negative symptoms and illness duration as predictors of cognitive performance. RESULTS: For the PANSS, the item "abstract thinking" accounted for the association between negative symptoms and cognition. For the SANS, the "attention" subscale predicted the performance in verbal memory, but illness duration emerged as a stronger predictor than negative symptoms for outcomes of processing speed, verbal and working memory. CONCLUSION: Utilizing alternative models to the traditional PANSS and SANS formats, and accounting for illness duration, provide more precise evidence on the relationship between negative symptoms and cognition. Since these measures are still extensively utilized, we recommend adopting more rigorous approaches to avoid misleading results.
Filiaciones:
Farreny A:
Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERSAM(1), Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry, WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Services Development, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
Usall J:
Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERSAM(1), Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
Cuevas-Esteban J:
Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERSAM(1), Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
Ochoa S:
Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERSAM(1), Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
Brebion G:
Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, CIBERSAM(1), Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
Open Access
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