The purpose of this study was to establish further the validity of the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (
BADS) in a population with
schizophrenia. Specific objectives were: to examine the construct validity and sensitivity of the
BADS in differentiating between adult inpatients during an acute episode of illness, adult outpatients in the chronic stages of illness, and healthy controls; and to examine the predictive validity of the
BADS regarding functional outcomes within the chronic group. Participants were 30 inpatients during an acute episode of their illness; 31 outpatients in the chronic stage; and 93 healthy controls. Instruments included the
BADS, the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (Cognistat) and the Routine Task Inventory (RTI). Significant differences in
BADS scores were found between participants with
schizophrenia and healthy controls, and between both groups of patients, showing the chronic group to have more deficits in executive functions. In addition, within the chronic group the
BADS was found to be a significant predictor of two of the RTI outcome areas, instrumental
activities of daily living (IADL) and communication, beyond that accounted for by basic cognitive skills. These results support the validity of the
BADS within the schizophrenic population, and highlight the importance of measuring executive functions for rehabilitation.