Association of stigma, self-esteem, and symptoms with concurrent and prospective assessment of social anxiety in schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
Often overlooked clinically, social anxiety is common in schizophrenia and may represent a barrier to quality of life and social function. Little is known, however, about the possible roots of social anxiety in schizophrenia or their relationship to social anxiety over time.


METHODS
To explore this issue, we examined the relationship between self-esteem, self-stigma, positive and negative symptoms, emotional discomfort and affect recognition with concurrent and prospective assessments of social anxiety using the Multidimensional Anxiety Questionnaire in a sample of seventy-eight persons meeting criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.


RESULTS
Univariate correlations revealed that self-esteem, self-stigma, negative symptoms and emotional discomfort were significantly related to social anxiety assessed concurrently and five months later. Multiple regressions revealed negative symptoms and discrimination experiences in particular were found to predict social anxiety prospectively even when initial levels of social anxiety were controlled for statistically.


CONCLUSIONS
Negative symptoms and self-stigma may be consistently related to social anxiety across time.
Lysaker
Paul H
PH
Department of Psychiatry, Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. plysaker@iupui.edu
Yanos
Philip T
PT
Outcalt
Jared
J
Roe
David
D
D000328:Adult; D003155:Community Mental Health Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011287:Prejudice; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012928:Social Desirability; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping