The effects of cognitive impairment and substance abuse on psychiatric hospitalizations.

Previous studies have demonstrated a relationship between impairment in executive functioning and hospital and community tenure for people with schizophrenia. However, while it has been clearly established that comorbid substance abuse has a profound negative impact on the functioning of people with schizophrenia, no studies have examined the relative effect of cognitive impairment to substance use in predicting rehospitalization in this population. The present study examined the extent to which impairment on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and substance abuse are correlated with lifetime psychiatric hospitalizations for outpatients with schizophrenia. Substance abuse was a significant predictor of prior hospitalizations and impairment on the WCST was a significant predictor of the months hospitalized. The findings suggest that both substance abuse and cognitive impairment need to be addressed in order to reduce hospitalizations and time in the hospital.