Awareness of illness in schizophrenia: associations with multiple assessments of executive function.

Paul H Lysaker, Kriscinda A Whitney, Louanne W Davis
Author Information
  1. Paul H Lysaker: Day Hospital 116H, 1481 West 10th St., Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. plysaker@IUPUI.edu

Abstract

Though insight in schizophrenia is correlated with flexibility in abstract thought, it is unclear how differing dimensions of executive functions are linked to insight. Accordingly, the authors administered the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder and the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System to 53 participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Spearman Rho correlations revealed that symptom awareness was significantly related to Verbal Fluency, Color-Word, Tower, and Word Context scores. Awareness of treatment need was related to Color-Word, Tower, and Word Context tasks. Results suggest insight may be related to capacities to shift attention between differing environmental demands, plan ahead, and construct contextual understandings.

MeSH Term

Adult
Awareness
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Problem Solving
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychometrics
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenic Psychology
Statistics, Nonparametric

Word Cloud

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