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. 2016 Aug 30:242:150-156.
doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.05.034. Epub 2016 May 31.

Social cognition in schizophrenia: Factor structure of emotion processing and theory of mind

Julia Browne  1 , David L Penn  2 , Tenko Raykov  3 , Amy E Pinkham  4 , Skylar Kelsven  5 , Benjamin Buck  6 , Philip D Harvey  7
Affiliations

Social cognition in schizophrenia: Factor structure of emotion processing and theory of mind

Julia Browne et al. Psychiatry Res. .

Abstract

Factor analytic studies examining social cognition in schizophrenia have yielded inconsistent results most likely due to the varying number and quality of measures. With the recent conclusion of Phase 3 of the Social Cognition Psychometric Evaluation (SCOPE) Study, the most psychometrically sound measures of social cognition have been identified. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to: 1) examine the factor structure of social cognition in schizophrenia through the utilization of psychometrically sound measures, 2) examine the stability of the factor structure across two study visits, 3) compare the factor structure of social cognition in schizophrenia to that in healthy controls, and 4) examine the relationship between the factors and relevant outcome measures including social functioning and symptoms. Results supported a one-factor model for the patient and healthy control samples at both visits. This single factor was significantly associated with negative symptoms in the schizophrenia sample and with social functioning in both groups at both study visits.

Keywords: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); Emotion processing; Social cognitive skill; Theory of mind.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest

none.

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