Associative disturbance in schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, and major affective disorders: Comparisons between hospitalization and 1-year follow-up.

Word-association performance of 71 Research Diagnostic Criteria-diagnosed schizophrenic, schizoaffective, and affective disorder patients was assessed shortly after hospital admission to evaluate the diagnostic specificity of associative disturbance. The same Ss were assessed again 1 yr after discharge to investigate the longitudinal course of word-association behavior. Data regarding rehospitalization were included in the analyses of 4 primary word-association indices. Results indicate that thought disorder was not distinctively schizophrenic and that associative thought disorder was more characteristically associated with rehospitalization for affective disorder patients than for other diagnostic groups. Arousal and cognitive control mechanisms are discussed. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)