title: Negative symptoms and social skills performance in schizophrenia.
abstract: The present study aimed to determine whether the negative symptoms of patients with schizophrenia were better predictors of social competence than a range of other variables pertaining to demographics, illness, hospitalization, and premorbid functioning. Independent raters assessed social skills performance on a video-taped role-play test and 5 min conversation in 53 inpatients with a DSM-III diagnosis of schizophrenia. Patients' social skills were also assessed by ward nurses. Project clinicians assessed depression, medication side effects and positive and negative symptoms. Multiple-regression analyses demonstrated that, generally, negative symptoms were the best predictors of social skills performance.
authors.affiliation: National Health and Medical Research Council Schizophrenia Research Unit, Royal Park Hospital, Parkville, Australia.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: I H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Minas
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Burgess
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Joshua
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Charisiou
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012381:Role Playing; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012931:Social Environment; D014705:Verbal Behavior