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Negative and paranoid symptoms are associated with negative performance beliefs and social cognition in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
Author(s) -
Schneider Maude,
Van der Linden Martial,
Menghetti Sarah,
Debbané Martin,
Eliez Stephan
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
early intervention in psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.087
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1751-7893
pISSN - 1751-7885
DOI - 10.1111/eip.12224
Subject(s) - psychology , cognition , clinical psychology , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , population , psychosis , paranoid schizophrenia , social cognition , anxiety , mediation , social anxiety , developmental psychology , psychiatry , medicine , political science , law , environmental health
Aims 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a neurogenetic condition associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia. Previous studies have shown that negative symptoms represent the most specific clinical characteristic of psychosis in 22q11.2DS and are strongly associated with outcome. However, the psychological mechanisms associated with these symptoms in this population are poorly understood. In accordance with recent conceptualizations in the field of schizophrenia, the present study aims at investigating whether negative symptoms are associated with the presence of negative performance beliefs and cognitive deficits. Methods Thirty‐five participants with 22q11.2DS and 24 typically developing individuals aged between 11 and 24 years were included in the study. Self‐reported schizotypal symptoms (cognitive‐perceptual, paranoid, negative and disorganization symptoms) and dysfunctional beliefs (negative performance beliefs and need for approval) were assessed. Measures of processing speed, verbal memory, working memory, executive functioning and face recognition were also extracted from a broad cognitive evaluation protocol. Results Adolescents with 22q11.2DS reported significantly higher score on the negative dimension of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire than controls, even when controlling for the influence of anxiety/depression and intellectual functioning. Negative and paranoid symptoms were associated with the severity of negative performance beliefs and lower face recognition abilities. Mediation analyses revealed that negative performance beliefs significantly mediated the association between face recognition and negative/paranoid symptoms. Conclusions These findings suggest that negative performance beliefs and basic social cognitive mechanisms are associated with negative and paranoid symptoms in individuals with 22q11.2DS. Implications for intervention are discussed in this article.