Caregivers’ perception of patients’ cognitive deficit in schizophrenia and its influence on their quality of life

Purpose: The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between the caregivers’ perception of patients’ cognitive deficits (i.e., neurocognition and social cognition) and their quality of life (QoL), after adjusting on clinicians’ assessment of neurocognitive deficits and sociodemographic confounding factors. Methods: The study included 253 patients with schizophrenia and their caregivers from public mental health clinics in Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. The caregivers’ perception of patients’ neurocognitive and social cognitive deficits was assessed using the the GEOPTE scale, caregivers’ QoL was assessed using the schizophrenia caregiver quality of life questionnaire (S-CGQoL) and clinicians’ ratings of patients’ neurocognitive deficits was based on the cognitive factor of the positive and negative syndrome scale for schizophrenia (PANSS). Results: The degree of agreement between caregivers’ perception and health care professionals’ assessment of cognitive deficit of patients with schizophrenia was moderate. Caregivers’ perceptions of neurocognitive and social cognitive deficits were significantly associated with their QoL, contrary to clinicians’ assessment. Conclusions: Caregivers’ perception of patients’ cognitive deficit was significantly associated with their QoL. The caregivers’ perception regarding patients’ neurocognition and social cognition may enrich the knowledge of clinicians on patients and is important to be considered by clinicians to improve caregiver’s QoL.