Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 30, 2026

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
Correlates of change in functional status of institutionalized geriatric schizophrenic patients: focus on medical
Joseph I Friedman1, Philip D Harvey, Susan R McGurk
1Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. jfriedman1@rcn.com
Objective:
Impairment in basic self-care skills is common in patients with schizophrenia and is even more severe in elderly patients with a chronic course of institutional care. While cognitive impairment has proven to be a major predictor of overall functional deficit in schizophrenia, other potential factors, such as medical comorbidity, need to be considered.
Method:
Geriatric institutionalized schizophrenic patients (N=124) were assessed three times over 4 years to determine levels of positive and negative symptoms, impairment in activities of daily living, impairment in cognitive functioning, and medical problems. Path analysis was used to determine which variables best predicted changes in self-care functions.
Results:
Functional status, negative symptoms, cognitive functions, and health status all significantly worsened during the follow-up. The path analyses showed that change in health status did not predict change in activities of daily living after the analysis accounted for negative symptoms and cognitive functions.
Discussion:
The results highlight the relative importance of cognitive impairments in the functional impairments of older schizophrenic patients with increased medical burden.
Related Concept Videos
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Factors Affecting Illness
For instance, risk factors are connected to illness, disability,...
Biological Causes of Schizophrenia
Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia
The genetic basis of schizophrenia is strongly supported by family and twin studies.
Schizophrenia
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
