Concept confirmation of the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS) among unpaid and professional caregivers

Schizophrenia is a complex mental health condition characterized by a range of heterogenous symptoms. Cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS) interferes with individuals' ability to manage their daily activities and has a detrimental effect on everyday life. The Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS) is an interview-based assessment, which was developed to provide a detailed evaluation of the performance of everyday tasks in the real world. The assessment is completed by clinicians with input from patients with schizophrenia and caregivers. The scale has good psychometric properties and has been used across several trials. Nevertheless, the relevance of the SCoRS from the caregivers' perspective has not been confirmed. The aim of this study was to confirm the content of the SCoRS from the caregivers' perspective. A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted with primary (live-in, for example, a family member) and secondary (professionally trained) caregivers in the US caring for patients with schizophrenia. The caregiver research confirmed the concepts that clinicians and patients had previously identified in the creation of the PRECIS scale as clear cognitive deficits of patients with schizophrenia. Understanding that family and professional caregivers confirm these cognitive impairments to be real, independently from the patient and clinicians, is helpful to determine the validity of the cognitive impairment concept. Overall, the findings confirmed that the SCoRS captures relevant aspects of cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia and support the relevance and clarity of instructions, domains, and items with primary and secondary informants.