The subjective cognitive impairment scale: development of a self-report measure of subjective daily life cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A 31-item self-report questionnaire named the Subjective Cognitive Impairments Scale (SCIS) was developed to assess schizophrenic patients’ self-perceived cognitive functioning in daily life. It was developed based on the premise that impairments detected by objective cognitive assessments only partially correspond to patients’ complaints about their cognitive functioning in daily life, and this mismatch in turn impinges on treatment planning and efficacy. METHODS: Thirty patients with schizophrenia were interviewed and asked to describe their cognitive impairments encountered in daily life. Their responses were analyzed and classified into five domains including attention, memory, executive functioning, cognitive speed, and language comprehension and expression. The face validity of the SCIS was confirmed by a group of experts consisted of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. The SCIS was administered to normal controls and patients. CONCLUSION: The preliminary pilot data showed that none of the participants misunderstood and misinterpreted the items. Further analysis will be performed to confirm the factor structure and validity of the questionnaire.