Toward Understanding the Insight Paradox: Internalized Stigma Moderates the Association Between Insight and Social Functioning, Hope, and Self-esteem Among People with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Rapid and accurate trustworthiness judgments are important during successful day-to-day social interactions because they can influence the decision whether to approach someone and initiate social interaction. The aim of the present study was to analyze associations between these judgments and self-reported and clinician-rated social functioning. The sample consisted of 48 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 35 healthy controls matched for age, gender, and educational level. A trustworthiness task, subjective, and clinician-rated scales for social functioning were administered to both samples. Trustworthiness judgments did not differ between patients and healthy controls. Both groups were able to discriminate between trustworthy and untrustworthy faces. Trustworthiness ratings were associated with self-reported and clinician-rated measures of interpersonal functioning in patients with schizophrenia. Despite the absence of differences between groups, in patients with schizophrenia, a tendency to mistrust based on facial appearance was related to worse functional outcome, predominantly in the domain of disturbed interpersonal functioning. This study highlights the importance of future research into social–cognitive biases in schizophrenia.

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Comparison of self-stigma and quality of life in depressive disorder and schizophrenia – a cross-sectional study

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.02.342 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S356-S356

Author(s):

M. Holubova ◽

J. Prasko ◽

S. Matousek ◽

K. Latalova ◽

M. Marackova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Depressive Disorders ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Internalized Stigma ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorders

BackgroundThe views of one's self-stigma and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia and depressive disorders are significant subjective notions, both being proven to affect patient's functioning in life. The objective of this research was to find out the quality of life and self-stigma in connection with demographic factors and compare the two groups of patients in those variables.MethodIn a cross-sectional study, the outpatients with the schizophrenia spectrum disorders and depressive disorders completed the quality of life satisfaction and enjoyment questionnaire, the internalized stigma of mental illness scale and a demographic questionnaire during a routine psychiatric control. Furthermore, both patients and their psychiatrists evaluated the severity of the disorder by clinical global impression-severity scale.ResultsThe quality of life of patients with depression or schizophrenia spectrum disorders did not significantly differ between the two groups. In both groups, unemployment was perceived to be a significant factor decreasing the quality of life. Self-stigma was detected to be higher in patients with schizophrenia as compared to the depressive patients. A strong correlation was found between the two scales, meaning that those with higher levels of self-stigmatization were less prone to see their life as fulfilling and joyful.ConclusionsThe present study shows that the degree of the internalized stigma can be an important aspect linked to the quality of life irrespective of the diagnostic category.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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Metacognitive deficits and social functioning in schizophrenia across symptom profiles: A latent class analysis

Journal of Experimental Psychopathology ◽

10.1177/2043808719830821 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 204380871983082 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Emily C. Gagen ◽

Aieyat B. Zalzala ◽

Jesse Hochheiser ◽

Ashley Schnakenberg Martin ◽

Paul H. Lysaker

Keyword(s):

Latent Class Analysis ◽

Social Functioning ◽

Latent Class ◽

Class Analysis ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽

Class 1 ◽

Spectrum Disorders ◽

Meaningful Connections ◽

Relationship Of

Functional deficits are a hallmark of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, but much debate still exists over why and how they originate. One model suggests that disturbances in social functioning are a result of metacognitive deficits or a failure to integrate information to form more complex ideas of themselves and others. It is unclear if this social dysfunction is present across different symptom presentations. We examined the relationship of metacognition, symptoms, and social functioning among a sample of adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders ( N = 334). A latent class analysis produced a four-class model. Groups were classified as follows: diffuse symptoms/moderately impaired social functioning (Class 1), positive and hostility symptoms/mildly impaired social functioning (Class 2), minimal symptoms/good social functioning (Class 3), and negative and cognitive symptoms/severely impaired social functioning (Class 4). Class 3 demonstrated better overall metacognitive capacity than both Classes 1 and 4 but did not differ significantly from Class 2. Classes 2 and 3 both demonstrated better interpersonal functioning than Classes 1 and 4. Together, these findings provide support for models of poor functioning that stem from fragmentation of an individual’s experience, leading to diminished abilities to form meaningful connections with others. Additional interpretations, limitations, and research implications are discussed.

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