Functioning in schizophrenia from the perspective of psychologists: A worldwide study

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder associated with impairment in functioning. A multidisciplinary approach is essential to help individuals with this health condition, and psychological interventions are considered a priority. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) offers a theoretical framework for assessing functioning and disability. The ICF Core Sets for schizophrenia are a list of ICF categories describing the most common problems in functioning of persons affected by this health condition. This study aimed to explore the content validity of these ICF Core Sets and to identify the most common problems in people with schizophrenia from the perspective of psychologists. Psychologists with experience of schizophrenia treatment were recruited for a three-round Delphi study in order to gather their views regarding the problems commonly presented by these patients. A total of 175 psychologists from 46 countries covering the six WHO regions answered the first-round questionnaire, and 137 completed all three rounds. The 7,526 concepts extracted from first-round responses were linked to 412 ICF categories and 53 personal factors. Consensus (≥75% agreement) was reached for 76 ICF categories and 28 personal factors. Seventy-three of the 97 ICF categories that form the Comprehensive ICF Core Set for schizophrenia achieved consensus, and only three categories that yielded consensus do not feature in this Core Set. These results support the content validity of these ICF Core Sets from the perspective of psychologists. This provides further evidence of the suitability of the ICF framework for describing functioning and disability in persons with schizophrenia.

Functioning Problems in Persons with Schizophrenia in the Russian Context

“…This is because previous research on the content validity of the ICF-CS with different professionals (nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers) has shown that the difference in perspective between health professionals means that some ICF-CS categories for schizophrenia may be more relevant than others for a given health professional, although the way of assessing functionality is the same. [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ].…”

An Integrated Account of Expert Perspectives on Functioning in Schizophrenia

“…The six Delphi studies were conducted between 2016 and 2018. All studies followed the same design to ensure a high level of comparability between the results of each, and it has been detailed in the previous studies which describe the results obtained from each perspective: psychiatry [27], psychology [28], nursing [29], occupational therapy [30], social work [31] and physiotherapy [32]. Anonymity was guaranteed as the process was coordinated by a research team using an online platform or email, thus avoiding any interaction between the participants.…”

Analyzing Twitter Data to Understand Stigmatization of Schizophrenia Before and After Elon Musk

“…Schizophrenia afflicts approximately 24 million people worldwide and is a debilitating disorder for both individuals with this condition and for their families, due to its chronic course and early onset age (Patel et al, 2014;World Health Organization, 2022). Disabilities are frequently associated with schizophrenia, as its symptoms may cause hindrance in social, educational, occupational, and other important areas of life (Nuño et al, 2019). Schizophrenia is a serious illness and an important point of focus in the field of mental health.…”