¹Medical University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, ²Klinik Hietzing, 1st Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Vienna, Austria

Background: The functional outcome of inpatient psychiatry is a central clinical concern. It is well-established that good neurocognition is an important factor in achieving a favourable functional outcome.

Aims & Objectives: We have previously investigated the question of whether cognitive dysfunction improves over the course of inpatient treatment, where acutely admitted patients are offered a combination of pharmacological treatment and cognitive remediation (Maihofer et al., J Clin Med 2024, 13, 4843). In this study, we now investigate the extent to which the functional outcome of patients with psychotic and affective disorders is associated with cognitive function over time.

Method: Adult inpatients aged between 18 and 66 years (with female patients constituting 57.9% of the sample and male patients constituting 42.1%) were assessed with the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP-G: Sachs et al. Schiz Res Cogn 2021, 25, 100197; Sachs et al. Schiz Res Cogn 2022, 29, 100259).According to the ICD-10 research criteria, 83 patients received an F2 diagnosis (schizophrenia, schizoaffective and delusional disorders), 61 patients met the criteria for bipolar disorder or mania (F30/F31) and 90 for depression (F32/F33). All patients received state-of-the-art pharmacotherapy and cognitive remediation using the COGPACK® software package version 6.06. Functioning was assessed using the Global Assessment of Function (GAF).

Results: SCIP scores at baseline demonstrated a significant correlation with SCIP scores at time point two (r=.74, p<.001). Furthermore, a strong correlation was identified between the SCIP at baseline and patients' functional level (r=.32, p=.01). It was observed that higher baseline SCIP scores were associated with higher GAF scores (r=.33, p=.01).
A higher GAF score at baseline is associated with a higher SCIP score at time point two (r=.26, p=.039). Furthermore, a higher SCIP score at time point two is associated with a higher GAF score at time point two (r=.42, p<.001).

Discussion & Conclusions: During their period of hospitalisation, patients who were acutely admitted to the hospital demonstrated improvements in both function and neurocognition, irrespective of their diagnostic classification. The functionality of these patients, as measured by the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), exhibited a significant correlation with their cognitive ability, as evaluated by the SCIP-G.