OBJECTIVE: There is clear evidence that cognitive performance is a correlate of functional outcome among patients with schizophrenia. However, few studies have specifically examined the cognitive correlates of competitive employment performance or the longer-term outcomes of vocational rehabilitation. The objective of the present study was to examine the cognitive predictors of vocational functioning in the context of a controlled clinical trial by comparing two approaches to vocational rehabilitation. METHOD: A broad neuropsychological battery was administered to 150 patients upon entry into the vocational rehabilitation trial. Vocational performance was assessed over a 24-month follow-up interval. RESULTS: There were no differences in baseline cognitive performance between the 40 patients who obtained competitive employment and the 110 patients who remained unemployed over the follow-up interval. In contrast, multiple cognitive measures were significantly correlated with the total number of hours that patients were employed. The cognition-job tenure relationship appears to be fairly general, involving measures of IQ, attention, working memory, and problem solving. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive performance was a significant predictor of job tenure but not job attainment in the context of a clinical trial of two vocational rehabilitation approaches. It appears that many persistently unemployed patients are capable of obtaining competitive employment with effective vocational services. Longer-term employment success, however, may be related to multiple aspects of baseline cognitive performance.
OBJECTIVE: There is clear evidence that cognitive performance is a correlate of functional outcome among patients with schizophrenia. However, few studies have specifically examined the cognitive correlates of competitive employment performance or the longer-term outcomes of vocational rehabilitation. The objective of the present study was to examine the cognitive predictors of vocational functioning in the context of a controlled clinical trial by comparing two approaches to vocational rehabilitation. METHOD: A broad neuropsychological battery was administered to 150 patients upon entry into the vocational rehabilitation trial. Vocational performance was assessed over a 24-month follow-up interval. RESULTS: There were no differences in baseline cognitive performance between the 40 patients who obtained competitive employment and the 110 patients who remained unemployed over the follow-up interval. In contrast, multiple cognitive measures were significantly correlated with the total number of hours that patients were employed. The cognition-job tenure relationship appears to be fairly general, involving measures of IQ, attention, working memory, and problem solving. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive performance was a significant predictor of job tenure but not job attainment in the context of a clinical trial of two vocational rehabilitation approaches. It appears that many persistently unemployed patients are capable of obtaining competitive employment with effective vocational services. Longer-term employment success, however, may be related to multiple aspects of baseline cognitive performance.
Authors: John H Krystal; D Cyril D'Souza; Daniel Mathalon; Edward Perry; Aysenil Belger; Ralph Hoffman Journal: Psychopharmacology (Berl) Date: 2003-09-02 Impact factor: 4.530
Authors: Philip D Harvey; Robert K Heaton; William T Carpenter; Michael F Green; James M Gold; Michael Schoenbaum Journal: Schizophr Res Date: 2012-04-13 Impact factor: 4.939
Authors: Keith H Nuechterlein; Joseph Ventura; Kenneth L Subotnik; Jacqueline N Hayata; Alice Medalia; Morris D Bell Journal: Am J Psychiatr Rehabil Date: 2014-07