LAUSR

Differences between males and females with schizophrenia have been identified for numerous important disorder-related variables including age of onset, severity, and course, among others. Evidence suggests there also may be differences in intellectual functioning and possibly specific cognitive deficits. This study examined differences in the latent structure of cognitive abilities between males and females with schizophrenia. Participants included 659 males (age X̄ = 38.25, 64.5% Caucasian, education X̄ = 11.69) and 209 females (age X̄ = 40.52, 55.5% Caucasian, education X̄ = 11.72) with schizophrenia who were evaluated with neuropsychological tests as part of a large multicenter randomized control trial of antipsychotic medications (CATIE). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test four competing models based on prior CFA of the CATIE data. Model accuracy was evaluated using Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Root Mean Squared Error of Approximation (RMSEA), and Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC). CFAs were completed for each sex using EQS 6.3. Models included one-factor, five-factor, six-factor, and a hierarchical model in which five factors load on a single factor “g”. The six-factor model was the best fitting for both males and females. The results indicated that a six-factor model of neurocognition is the best fitting model for both males and females. The results also suggest that the latent structure of cognitive abilities is similar for both sexes. This provides a strong basis for uniform interpretation of neuropsychological domains across males and females, although there may be sex-related differences in patterns and severity of deficit in each domain.