An examination of the relationships among three outcome scales in schizophrenia.

The functioning of 94 schizophrenic subjects was rated using the Global Assessment Scale, the Strauss and Carpenter Outcome Scale, and the Role Functioning Scale. The convergent validity among the scales was quite modest and highly variable. Solid empirical convergence only occurred when two of the scales each measured social and vocational dimensions of functioning. It is argued that these findings strongly illustrate the need for conceptual and operational consensus in this area. The findings also support the notion of outcome in schizophrenia as a set of distinct, yet linked, dimensions. Other implications of the findings for the definition and measurement of outcome in schizophrenia when using global and multidimensional scales are discussed.