Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills
Published on: April 23, 2014
Pathways to functional outcomes in schizophrenia: the role of premorbid functioning, negative symptoms and
N Brill1, S Z Levine, A Reichenberg
1Ashkelon Academic College, Israel.
Background:
Social and intellectual premorbid functioning are generally estimated retrospectively, and related to clinical or hospitalization outcomes in schizophrenia. Yet the relationship between premorbid functioning assessed prior to psychiatric hospitalization and postmorbid functional outcomes has not been examined.
Objectives:
To test competing models of the relationship between (a) functional outcomes with (b) premorbid functioning assessed on nationally administered tests prior to psychiatric hospitalization, postmorbid intellectual functioning and symptomatology using a historical prospective design.
Methods:
Ninety one inpatient and outpatient males with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, aged 19 to 35, were examined using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the WAIS-III and Strauss and Carpenter social and occupational functional outcome scale. Premorbid intelligence and social functioning data were obtained from national standardized tests administered during high school prior to first hospitalization for schizophrenia.
Results:
Path modeling showed that premorbid intelligence and behavioral functioning directly predicted postmorbid IQ and negative symptoms, and indirectly predicted postmorbid social and occupational functioning via negative symptoms. Item level analysis indicated that better social and occupational outcomes occurred in a group with few negative symptoms.
Conclusions:
Premorbid functioning, postmorbid IQ and negative symptoms are related, yet the relationship between premorbid functioning and postmorbid functional outcomes appears to be mediated by postmorbid negative symptoms.
Related Concept Videos
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,...
Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within the...
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Biological Causes of Schizophrenia
Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia
The genetic basis of schizophrenia is strongly supported by family and twin studies.
Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes loosely...
Schizophrenia
