title: Insight and theory of mind in schizophrenia.
abstract: Theory of mind (ToM) impairment is common in individuals with schizophrenia and is associated with poor social functioning. Poor insight has also been linked to poor outcome in schizophrenia. Social developmental research has shown representations of self (insight) and representations of others (ToM) are related. In schizophrenia, contradictory reports of associations between insight and ToM have emerged, possibly due to a failure to account for neurocognitive impairments and symptoms associated with both mentalization constructs. This study investigated the relationships between ToM (intentions of others on the Hinting Task) and clinical and cognitive insight, while accounting for shared variance with neurocognitive impairment and symptom severity in 193 individuals with schizophrenia. Clinical, but not cognitive, insight was associated with ToM. A unique association between Awareness of Mental Illness and Hinting Task performance was found, independent of shared variance with neurocognition and symptoms. Importantly, ToM was found to mediate Awareness of Mental Illness and neurocognition. Results suggested that treatments targeting mentalization abilities that contribute to representations of self and others may improve insight deficits associated with poor outcome in schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Institute of Child Development, 51 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Rowena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, 150 South Huntington Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, USA; Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry 116A, 940 Belmont Street, Brockton, MA 02301, USA.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fish
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Villa Drive, San Diego, CA 92161, USA; University of California, San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Electronic address: egranholm@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Granholm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055809:Illness Behavior; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011340:Problem Solving; D011379:Prognosis; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D056345:Theory of Mind; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cognitive insight; Insight; Mentalization; Schizophrenia; Social cognition; Theory of mind