A contextual study of daily living strategies in neurocognitively impaired adults with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness often recognized as a degenerative neurocognitive condition. For some with the disorder, the impairment is fairly mild, but for others, neurocognitive abilities can be severely compromised. In this study, 5 individuals with schizophrenia had been assessed through a laboratory-based neurocognitive battery as having severe impairment. Their neurocognitive status was unknown to the author, and she was able to observe daily tasks and ask questions about strategies they employed while completing tasks, and analyze the data without preconceptions about their status. This study was guided by notions of ecological validity, which is the comparison between lab tests and real-world functioning. Despite their cognitive deficits, these individuals had remarkable strengths, which included drawing supportive people into their worlds to fulfill their daily tasks. These data contribute to the rehabilitation literature and propose remedies for struggles of daily living when one has schizophrenia.