title: Predictors of participation in community outpatient psychosocial rehabilitation in schizophrenia.
abstract: This study investigated demographic, clinical and neurocognitive factors predicting drop-out from an intensive, community outpatient psychosocial rehabilitation program for people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. One-hundred and twenty-seven outpatients with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participated. Demographic variables of age, sex, education and race/ethnicity were recorded and formal symptom measures and a neurocognitive assessment consisting of measures of crystallized verbal ability, sustained visual vigilance, verbal learning, verbal fluency and problem-solving were administered at study entry. Thirty-seven percent of the sample dropped-out of the program. In a final multivariate model, younger age, and lower verbal fluency scores in clients with a history of a high number of hospitalizations predicted a greater likelihood of drop-out. The implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wesleyan University, 207 High Street, Middletown, CT 06459, USA. mkurtz@wesleyan.edu
authors.forename: Matthew M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kurtz
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Bruce E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Wexler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003237:Connecticut; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D009042:Motivation; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D055815:Young Adult