Cognitive predictors and genetic moderators of employment outcomes in people with schizophrenia

Although some individuals with schizophrenia are able to maintain gainful employment, many are not. To better understand this differential real-life outcome, we tested general and specific cognitive measures as predictors of future employment and genetic moderators of these relationships. One hundre...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rachael Keir Blackman, Dwight Dickinson, Michael D. Gregory, Bhaskar S. Kolachana, Daniel P. Eisenberg, Karen F. Berman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Schizophrenia Research: Cognition
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215001325000137
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849344166950076416
author Rachael Keir Blackman
Dwight Dickinson
Michael D. Gregory
Bhaskar S. Kolachana
Daniel P. Eisenberg
Karen F. Berman
author_facet Rachael Keir Blackman
Dwight Dickinson
Michael D. Gregory
Bhaskar S. Kolachana
Daniel P. Eisenberg
Karen F. Berman
author_sort Rachael Keir Blackman
collection DOAJ
description Although some individuals with schizophrenia are able to maintain gainful employment, many are not. To better understand this differential real-life outcome, we tested general and specific cognitive measures as predictors of future employment and genetic moderators of these relationships. One hundred and twenty-four patients with schizophrenia spectrum illness (31.5 % female, mean age 32.5 ± 10.5 years) participated in a research study at the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program's Clinical Center and were later recontacted regarding outcomes (average time to recontact = 8.6 ± 4.0 years). At the initial visit, patients completed a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests and provided blood samples for genotyping. Cognitive scores at the initial visit were tested as predictors of future employment status (employed vs. unemployed) at follow-up using logistic regressions, and polygenic risk scores for schizophrenia were tested as moderators. At follow-up, 45.2 % of individuals were employed. General cognitive ability indexes (“g” and IQ) and verbal memory were predictive of subsequent employment status. Additionally, polygenic risk for schizophrenia moderated the effect of working memory cognitive scores on the prediction of future employment. The results suggest that certain broad indexes of cognitive dysfunction may be particularly salient in targeting interventions to address real-world functioning in schizophrenia. These data also suggest that further investigation into the genetic underpinnings of real-life outcomes in this illness is warranted.
format Article
id doaj-art-e5545ed928124607985bd81c597873ef
institution Kabale University
issn 2215-0013
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Schizophrenia Research: Cognition
spelling doaj-art-e5545ed928124607985bd81c597873ef2025-08-20T03:42:44ZengElsevierSchizophrenia Research: Cognition2215-00132025-06-014010035610.1016/j.scog.2025.100356Cognitive predictors and genetic moderators of employment outcomes in people with schizophreniaRachael Keir Blackman0Dwight Dickinson1Michael D. Gregory2Bhaskar S. Kolachana3Daniel P. Eisenberg4Karen F. Berman5Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USAClinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USAClinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USAHuman Brain Collection Core, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USAClinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USAClinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Corresponding author at: Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Intramural Research Program, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 10, Room 3C103A, Bethesda, MD 20892-1365, USA.Although some individuals with schizophrenia are able to maintain gainful employment, many are not. To better understand this differential real-life outcome, we tested general and specific cognitive measures as predictors of future employment and genetic moderators of these relationships. One hundred and twenty-four patients with schizophrenia spectrum illness (31.5 % female, mean age 32.5 ± 10.5 years) participated in a research study at the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program's Clinical Center and were later recontacted regarding outcomes (average time to recontact = 8.6 ± 4.0 years). At the initial visit, patients completed a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests and provided blood samples for genotyping. Cognitive scores at the initial visit were tested as predictors of future employment status (employed vs. unemployed) at follow-up using logistic regressions, and polygenic risk scores for schizophrenia were tested as moderators. At follow-up, 45.2 % of individuals were employed. General cognitive ability indexes (“g” and IQ) and verbal memory were predictive of subsequent employment status. Additionally, polygenic risk for schizophrenia moderated the effect of working memory cognitive scores on the prediction of future employment. The results suggest that certain broad indexes of cognitive dysfunction may be particularly salient in targeting interventions to address real-world functioning in schizophrenia. These data also suggest that further investigation into the genetic underpinnings of real-life outcomes in this illness is warranted.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215001325000137SchizophreniaFunctional outcomesEmploymentCognitionPolygenic risk score
spellingShingle Rachael Keir Blackman
Dwight Dickinson
Michael D. Gregory
Bhaskar S. Kolachana
Daniel P. Eisenberg
Karen F. Berman
Cognitive predictors and genetic moderators of employment outcomes in people with schizophrenia
Schizophrenia Research: Cognition
Schizophrenia
Functional outcomes
Employment
Cognition
Polygenic risk score
title Cognitive predictors and genetic moderators of employment outcomes in people with schizophrenia
title_full Cognitive predictors and genetic moderators of employment outcomes in people with schizophrenia
title_fullStr Cognitive predictors and genetic moderators of employment outcomes in people with schizophrenia
title_full_unstemmed Cognitive predictors and genetic moderators of employment outcomes in people with schizophrenia
title_short Cognitive predictors and genetic moderators of employment outcomes in people with schizophrenia
title_sort cognitive predictors and genetic moderators of employment outcomes in people with schizophrenia
topic Schizophrenia
Functional outcomes
Employment
Cognition
Polygenic risk score
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215001325000137
work_keys_str_mv AT rachaelkeirblackman cognitivepredictorsandgeneticmoderatorsofemploymentoutcomesinpeoplewithschizophrenia
AT dwightdickinson cognitivepredictorsandgeneticmoderatorsofemploymentoutcomesinpeoplewithschizophrenia
AT michaeldgregory cognitivepredictorsandgeneticmoderatorsofemploymentoutcomesinpeoplewithschizophrenia
AT bhaskarskolachana cognitivepredictorsandgeneticmoderatorsofemploymentoutcomesinpeoplewithschizophrenia
AT danielpeisenberg cognitivepredictorsandgeneticmoderatorsofemploymentoutcomesinpeoplewithschizophrenia
AT karenfberman cognitivepredictorsandgeneticmoderatorsofemploymentoutcomesinpeoplewithschizophrenia