title: Social cognition in schizophrenia: factor structure, clinical and functional correlates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Social cognition is consistently impaired in people with schizophrenia, separable from general neurocognition, predictive of real-world functioning and amenable to psychosocial treatment. Few studies have empirically examined its underlying factor structure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study (1) examines the factor structure of social cognition in both a sample of individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and non-clinical controls and (2) explores relationships of factors to neurocognition, symptoms and functioning.
  
  
  METHODS
  A factor analysis was conducted on social cognition measures in a sample of 65 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, and 50 control participants. The resulting factors were examined for their relationships to symptoms and functioning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results suggested a two-factor structure in the schizophrenia sample (social cognition skill and hostile attributional style) and a three-factor structure in the non-clinical sample (hostile attributional style, higher-level inferential processing and lower-level cue detection). In the schizophrenia sample, the social cognition skill factor was significantly related to negative symptoms and social functioning, whereas hostile attributional style predicted positive and general psychopathology symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The factor structure of social cognition in schizophrenia separates hostile attributional style and social cognition skill, and each show differential relationships to relevant clinical variables in schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Chapel Hill , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Buck
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Chapel Hill , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Kristin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Healey
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Chapel Hill , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Emily C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Gagen
authors.affiliation: b University of Texas Health Science Center , San Antonio - San Antonio, TX , USA , and.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Chapel Hill , NC , USA.|c School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne , Victoria , Australia.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Penn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012938:Social Perception; D056345:Theory of Mind
keywords: Cognitive impairment; schizophrenia; social cognition; theory of mind