M50. THE PERSIAN VERSION OF THE SCREEN FOR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN PSYCHIATRY (SCIP-P) AS A VALID SCREENING TOOL FOR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

BACKGROUND: The Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP; Purdon, 2005) is a screening tool of cognitive impairment that includes measures of verbal learning (immediate and delayed), working memory, verbal fluency, and psychomotor speed. The test has three alternative forms that require less than 15 minutes to complete. The main objective of this preliminary study was to examine the Persian version of SCIP as a screening tool for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. METHODS: Reliability and validity data were collected from a sample of 98 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia who completed three alternate forms of the Persian translations of the SCIP within a three-week period separated by a one-week delay. RESULTS: This study presents the first results of the Persian version of the SCIP in a sample of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and compares the results with those derived from the English and Spanish versions. DISCUSSION: The SCIP-P scores were reliable and valid for the detection of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Analyses confirmed that the three forms of the SCIP-P are equivalent and may prove useful for the rapid screening during routine clinical evaluation of schizophrenia.