The meeting preparation task: Validation of a new measure of everyday life functioning with persons diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Poster (2012, June 25)

Objective: The objective was to create a new measure of everyday life functioning by developing a computerized real-life activity task where participants are asked to prepare a room for a meeting ... [more ▼]

Objective: The objective was to create a new measure of everyday life functioning by developing a computerized real-life activity task where participants are asked to prepare a room for a meeting. Background: Difficulties in everyday life activities are core features of persons diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, everyday life functioning is usually evaluated with questionnaires, performance-based or observation assessments, all of which contain a number of limits. Method: Twenty-one individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and 21 matched healthy controls completed the computerized meeting preparation task. Patients were also evaluated with an extensive cognitive battery and several measures of symptomatology and everyday life functioning. Results: Results showed that performance on the computerized task significantly differentiated patients and controls for a certain number of variables. These variables, summarized in a global score, were significantly correlated with both cognitive and everyday life functioning. Moreover, this composite score significantly predicted 39% of everyday life functioning, whereas a cognitive composite score only predicted 22%. In addition, when the meeting task composite score was combined with symptomatology and the cognitive composite score, these measures significantly predicted up to 73% of everyday life functioning. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the meeting preparation task provides a good indication of the level of everyday life functioning in patients with schizophrenia, and may be viewed as a valuable instrument in both an evaluation and remediation context. [less ▲]

A new way of predicting everyday life functioning: Validation of a Computerized Meeting Preparation Task with persons diagnosed with schizophrenia.

in Abstract Book of the BAPS-SEPEX (2012)

Deficits in everyday life functioning are a core feature of persons diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, functional outcome is usually evaluated with questionnaires and performance-based assessments ... [more ▼]

Deficits in everyday life functioning are a core feature of persons diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, functional outcome is usually evaluated with questionnaires and performance-based assessments, all of which contain a number of limits. We developed a computerized real-life activity task (meeting preparation task) where participants are required to prepare a meeting room. Twenty-one individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and 21 matched healthy controls completed the task. Patients were also evaluated with a cognitive battery and measures of symptomatology and functional outcome. Results showed that performance on the computerized task significantly differentiated patients and controls for a certain number of variables. These variables, combined into a composite score, were significantly correlated with both cognitive functioning and functional outcome. Moreover, this composite score significantly predicted 39% of functional outcome, whereas a cognitive composite score did not reach significance. In addition, when the meeting task composite score was combined with symptomatology and the cognitive composite score, these measures significantly predicted 70% of functional outcome. These findings suggest that the meeting preparation task provides a valid and significant indication of the level of everyday life functioning in patients with schizophrenia, and may be viewed as a valuable instrument in both an evaluation and remediation context. [less ▲]

New World : Evaluation écologique de l'axe cognition-fonctionnement

Conference (2011, December 16)

Relations between a computerized shopping task and cognitive and clinical variables in patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder and alcohol dependency compared with healthy controls.

in Abstract book of the BAPS Annual Meeting 2011 (2011)

Persons diagnosed with bipolar disorder and alcohol dependency are frequently subject to poor everyday life functioning. However, previous studies have primarily used questionnaires or observational ... [more ▼]

Persons diagnosed with bipolar disorder and alcohol dependency are frequently subject to poor everyday life functioning. However, previous studies have primarily used questionnaires or observational methods to assess everyday life functioning, both of which contain a number of limits. In order to address some of these limits, we developed a computerised real-life activity task, in particular, a shopping task where participants are required to shop for a list of 8 grocery store items. Twenty individuals diagnosed with alcoholic dependence and 21 patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder were compared with 20 and 21 matched healthy controls, respectively. All participants completed the shopping task, and both clinical groups were evaluated with an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests and a measure of global functioning. Results showed that, for both clinical groups, performance on the computerised shopping task significantly differentiated patients and healthy controls for a number of variables, especially total time and mean time to consult the shopping list. Performances on shopping task variables, in both clinical groups, were also significantly correlated with neuropsychological tests measuring verbal episodic memory, processing speed and selective attention. Finally, performances on the computerised shopping task were significantly correlated with various clinical variables and with global functioning in both patient groups. These findings suggest that the computerised task used in the present study provides a valid indication of the level of everyday life functioning for these clinical populations, and therefore may be viewed as a valuable instrument in both an evaluation and remediation context. [less ▲]