Assessment of prospective memory in schizophrenia using the Chinese version of the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test: A controlled study

Introduction: Data on the psychometric assessment of prospective memory (PM) are limited. The Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CAMPROMPT) and its Chinese version (CAMPROMPT-C) have been applied to a variety of clinical conditions except for chronic schizophrenia. This controlled study explored the clinical utility of the CAMPROMPT-C in patients with schizophrenia by comparing their PM performance with that of normal controls. Methods: Forty-four schizophrenia patients and 44 normal controls formed the study sample. Sociodemographic characteristics, PM, retrospective memory, and intelligence were measured in all subjects. Patients' psychopathology was rated with a standardized instrument. Results: Patients performed worse than normal controls on both the sum and subscale scores of the CAMPROMPT-C. Patients had comparable performances in PM subtypes. Bivariate analyses revealed that education level, intelligence, and retrospective memory were associated with PM functions. Discussion: The study supports the clinical utility of the CAMPROMPT-C in chronic schizophrenia and corroborated the significant relationship between PM and education, intelligence, and retrospective memory.