Projet New World : Evaluation écologique du fonctionnement quotidien.

Conference (2012, June 25)

Objectif: Les études qui seront présentées visent la création et la validation de nouveaux outils informatisés d’évaluation des activités de la vie quotidienne. Cadre théorique : Les patients souffrant ... [more ▼]

Objectif: Les études qui seront présentées visent la création et la validation de nouveaux outils informatisés d’évaluation des activités de la vie quotidienne. Cadre théorique : Les patients souffrant d’une psychopathologie rencontrent souvent des difficultés dans la vie quotidienne. Cependant, les outils actuels d’évaluation du fonctionnement dans la vie quotidienne (e.g., questionnaires, observations ou simulations d’activités) présentent une série de limites qui rendent ces outils peu prédictifs et représentatifs du fonctionnement. Méthode : Nous avons créé deux tâches informatisées d’évaluation du fonctionnement dans la vie quotidienne : une tâche de courses dans un supermarché (shopping) et une tâche multitasking de préparation d’une réunion. Ces tâches ont été soumises à plusieurs populations cliniques (i.e., souffrant de schizophrénie, d’un trouble bipolaire ou d’une dépendance alcoolique) qui ont été comparées à des groupes contrôles appariés. Les patients ont également été évalués avec des mesures cognitives, cliniques, et du statut fonctionnel. Résultats : Les deux tâches informatisées différenciaient les groupes de patients des groupes contrôles sur plusieurs variables communes, ainsi que spécifiques à chaque population. Les performances aux tâches étaient également hautement corrélées avec le fonctionnement cognitif, des variables cliniques et le statut fonctionnel. Enfin, les tâches ont également montré de bonnes capacités prédictives du statut fonctionnel. Conclusion : Les résultats des différentes études montrent que les tâches de shopping et de préparation d’une réunion peuvent être considérées comme de bons outils d’évaluation du niveau de fonctionnement quotidien pour différentes populations cliniques. Ces tâches pourraient également être utilisées dans un contexte de remédiation, tant pour des patients souffrant d’une psychopathologie que d’un trouble neurologique. [less ▲]

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

Poster (2012, May 11)

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 ▲]

Performance on an everyday life activity in persons diagnosed with alcohol dependency compared to healthy controls: Relations between a computerized shopping task and cognitive and clinical variables.

in Alcohol & Alcoholism (2012), 47(3), 240-247

Aim: Persons diagnosed with alcohol dependency often suffer from cognitive impairments. Little is known, however, concerning how these cognitive deficits impact complex, everyday life activities. By this ... [more ▼]

Aim: Persons diagnosed with alcohol dependency often suffer from cognitive impairments. Little is known, however, concerning how these cognitive deficits impact complex, everyday life activities. By this experiment, we wished to contribute to a better characterization of the nature of everyday life difficulties in patients with alcohol dependency using a computerized shopping task. Methods: We developed a computerized real-life activity task (shopping task), where participants are required to shop for a list of 8 grocery store items. Twenty individuals diagnosed with alcohol dependency and 20 healthy controls were administered a battery of cognitive tests, clinical scales and the computerized shopping task. Results: Performance on the computerized shopping task significantly differentiated patients and healthy controls for several variables and in particular for Total time. Moreover, Total time to complete the task correlated significantly with several cognitive measures. In particular, poor performance on measures of processing speed, verbal episodic memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibition were significantly correlated with longer Total time. Finally, longer Total time was significantly correlated with poorer everyday life functioning and longer duration of illness. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the computerized task used in the present study is a good proxy measure of the level of everyday life and cognitive functioning of persons diagnosed with alcohol dependency. [less ▲]

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

Poster (2011, May 27)

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 ▲]

Schizophrénie et vie quotidienne : liens entre une tâche informatisée de planification d’une réunion et des mesures cognitives

Master's dissertation (2011)