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Clinical symptoms predict concurrent social and global functioning in an early psychosis sample
Author(s) -
CacciottiSaija Cristina,
Langdon Robyn,
Ward Philip B.,
Hickie Ian B.,
Guastella Adam J.
Publication year - 2018
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.12295
Subject(s) - neurocognitive , social anxiety , psychology , psychosis , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , clinical psychology , cognition , anxiety , observational study , psychiatry , global assessment of functioning , social cognition , association (psychology) , social functioning , medicine , psychotherapist , distress , pathology
Aim Although well established in chronic schizophrenia, the key determinants of functioning remain unknown during the early phase of a psychotic disorder. The aim of this study was to comprehensively examine the social cognitive, basic neurocognitive and clinical predictors of concurrent social functioning and global functioning in an early psychosis sample. Methods This study examined the relationship between social cognition, basic neurocognition and clinical symptoms with concurrent functioning in 51 early psychosis individuals. Assessments included a range of self‐report, observational and clinician‐rated measures of cognitive, symptom severity and functioning domains. Results Results revealed a significant association between self‐reported social function and lower levels of both social interaction anxiety and negative psychotic symptoms. A significant association was also observed between lower levels of negative psychotic symptoms and observed social functioning. Lastly, results demonstrated a significant association between reduced negative psychotic symptoms and clinician‐rated global functioning. Conclusions Clinical domains such as negative symptoms and social interaction anxiety significantly contribute to an optimal model predicting outcome during the early phase of a psychotic disorder. These clinical features may also provide useful markers of an individual's capacity for social participation. Clinical implications include the need for early targeted intervention to address social anxiety and negative psychotic symptoms to facilitate optimum patient outcome.