title: Personality dysfunction and social functioning in schizophrenia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if personality dysfunction is associated with poorer clinical and social indicators in patients with schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational study of patients with schizophrenia in psychiatric care assessed patient satisfaction with care, social functioning and psychopathology. Analysis of the relationship between personality and these three domains quantitatively assessed differences between patients with and without comorbid personality dysfunction. Diagnostic confounding was assessed using partial correlation coefficients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-five patients with schizophrenia were studied. In the schizophrenia group, personality dysfunction correlated with poorer social functioning but not poorer satisfaction with care. Linear regression found that the relationship between poorer social functioning and personality disorder in schizophrenia remained, taking other diagnoses and age into account. Partial correlation coefficients confirmed that this was no related to an overlap between personality and schizophrenia symptoms in this sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Personality dysfunction may negatively influence social functioning in patients with schizophrenia but does not appear to impact on patients' views of the care they receive. This is not due to the potential for diagnostic confounding between schizophrenia and personality disorder. Further research using larger samples is needed to confirm this association.
authors.affiliation: Hawkes Bay DHB, Napier, New Zealand; Imperial College, London, UK; Wellington School of Medicine, Otago University, New Zealand; Auckland University School of Medicine, c/- 76 Wellesley Road, Napier South, Napier, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Giles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Newton-Howes
authors.forename: Reginald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marsh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D015897:Comorbidity; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011599:Psychopathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult