Linguistic ability and mental health outcomes among deaf people with schizophrenia

Cognition has become prominent in the study of schizophrenia because of its importance for understanding the etiology of the illness and its consequences for living independently. For people with schizophrenia who are also deaf, investigations of cognition and schizophrenia are infrequent. This study examines the role of linguistic ability in relation to cognition, social cognition, and functional outcome among deaf adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The primary finding is that linguistic ability is positively and significantly associated with functional outcome above and beyond the contribution of cognition and social cognition. A younger age of sign language acquisition is significantly associated with superior linguistic ability, but did not moderate the effect of linguistic ability on other domains. Opportunities for deaf mental health consumers to participate in sign language enrichment programs and communicate with other skilled signers may be useful additions to standard psychiatric rehabilitation programming. More research is needed to clarify the consequences of deafness with regards to schizophrenia especially as it relates to language, vision, and symptoms.