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Estimation of Premorbid Intelligence in Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

J. R. Crawford ,
J. A. O. Besson ,
M. Bremner ,
K. P. Ebmeier ,
R. H. B. Cochrane  and
K. Kirkwood
J. R. Crawford*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB9 2UB
J. A. O. Besson
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, Medical School, University of Aberdeen
M. Bremner
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, Medical School, University of Aberdeen
K. P. Ebmeier
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, Medical School, University of Aberdeen
R. H. B. Cochrane
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, Medical School, University of Aberdeen
K. Kirkwood
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, Medical School, University of Aberdeen
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

To determine whether the National Adult Reading Test (NART) would provide a valid estimate of premorbid intelligence in schizophrenia, two schizophrenic samples were recruited, one consisting of 35 patients resident in long-stay wards, the other of 29 patients normally resident in the community. Schizophrenic patients were individually matched for age, sex, and education with a healthy, normal subject. Both schizophrenic samples scored significantly lower on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) than their respective control groups. NART-estimated IQ did not differ significantly between the community-resident schizophrenics and their controls, suggesting that the NART provides a valid means of estimating premorbid intelligence in such a population. NART-estimated IQ was significantly lower in the long-stay sample than in their controls. Although low NART scores in this latter sample could be a valid reflection of low premorbid IQ, the alternative explanation that NART performance was impaired by onset of the disease cannot be ruled out.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 161 , Issue 1 , July 1992 , pp. 69 - 74
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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