SynthesisThe Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry2026
Assessing the prevalence of cognitive impairment among Australians with schizophrenia: A systematic review.
Synthesis in The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveCognitive difficulties are a core feature of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia; however, the prevalence of cognitive impairment among Australians with schizophrenia is unclear. This review aimed to estimate the prevalence of cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia in Australia and to describe methodological approaches to assessing cognition and defining cognitive impairment in the Australian schizophrenia research literature.
methodsSystematic searches were conducted across MEDLINE Complete, APA PsycINFO, Embase and Scopus to identify studies reporting cognitive assessment outcomes among Australians diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. A particular focus was given to studies of naturalistic cohorts (those studied in real-world environments without manipulation or experimental intervention); however, clinical trial cohorts were also included. Reporting followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 statement and Synthesis Without Meta-analysis guidelines.
resultsFindings were synthesised from 198 studies comprising approximately 23,755 individuals. There was substantial heterogeneity in cognitive assessment approaches and definitions of cognitive impairment. Over 100 different cognitive tests and test batteries were used across the included studies. Only 11 studies described naturalistic cohorts, with reported prevalence estimates of cognitive impairment of between 14.5% and 90%. Given insufficient quantitative data and substantial methodological differences across studies, meta-analysis was not conducted.
conclusionAlthough a pooled prevalence estimate could not be calculated, cognitive impairment likely poses a substantial burden to Australians with schizophrenia. Reducing this burden requires a multifaceted approach, including improved access to cognitive assessments as part of routine clinical care, and improved availability of evidence-based cognition-focused treatment options.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.