title: Social cognition in people with schizophrenia: a cluster-analytic approach.
abstract: The study aimed to subtype patients with schizophrenia on the basis of social cognition (SC), and to identify cut-offs that best discriminate among subtypes in 809 out-patients recruited in the context of the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses.
  
  
  
  A two-step cluster analysis of The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), the Facial Emotion Identification Test and Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test scores was performed. Classification and regression tree analysis was used to identify the cut-offs of variables that best discriminated among clusters.
  
  
  
  We identified three clusters, characterized by unimpaired (42%), impaired (50.4%) and very impaired (7.5%) SC. Three theory-of-mind domains were more important for the cluster definition as compared with emotion perception and emotional intelligence. Patients more able to understand simple sarcasm (⩾14 for TASIT-SS) were very likely to belong to the unimpaired SC cluster. Compared with patients in the impaired SC cluster, those in the very impaired SC cluster performed significantly worse in lie scenes (TASIT-LI <10), but not in simple sarcasm. Moreover, functioning, neurocognition, disorganization and SC had a linear relationship across the three clusters, while positive symptoms were significantly lower in patients with unimpaired SC as compared with patients with impaired and very impaired SC. On the other hand, negative symptoms were highest in patients with impaired levels of SC.
  
  
  
  If replicated, the identification of such subtypes in clinical practice may help in tailoring rehabilitation efforts to the person's strengths to gain more benefit to the person.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry,University of Turin,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rocca
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,University of Naples SUN,Naples,Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Galderisi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Section of Psychiatry,University of L'Aquila,L'Aquila,Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences,University of Bari,Bari,Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bertolino
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences,University of Bologna,Bologna,Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences,University of Bologna,Bologna,Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gibertoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry,University of Turin,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montemagni
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry,University of Turin,Turin,Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sigaudo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,University of Naples SUN,Naples,Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,University of Naples SUN,Naples,Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, Chair of Psychiatry,G. d'Annunzio University,Chieti,Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Acciavatti
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, Psychiatry Unit,University of Catania,Catania,Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aguglia
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics and Maternal and Child Health, Section of Psychiatry,University of Genoa,Genoa,Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amore
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, Psychiatry Unit,University of Foggia,Foggia,Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellomo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Section of Psychiatry,University of Bologna,Bologna,Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Ronchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry,University of Pisa,Pisa,Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dell'Osso
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry,Sapienza University of Rome,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Fabio
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs,S. Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Clinical Department of Mental Health,University of Siena,Siena,Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goracci
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry Unit,University of Parma,Parma,Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marchesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Surgery, Chair of Psychiatry,University of Salerno,Salerno,Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monteleone
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, Chair of Psychiatry,Tor Vergata University of Rome,Rome,Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Niolu
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Section of Psychiatry,University of Cagliari,Cagliari,Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pinna
authors.affiliation: Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, Unit of Psychiatry,University of L'Aquila,L'Aquila,Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roncone
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Unit,School of Medicine, University of Brescia,Brescia,Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sacchetti
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Clinic, Department of Neurosciences,University of Padua,Padua,Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Santonastaso
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Medicine, Psychiatric Unit,University of Eastern Piedmont,Novara,Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zeppegno
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,University of Naples SUN,Naples,Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maj
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D056348:Emotional Intelligence / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D000066499:Facial Recognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012938:Social Perception; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic
keywords: Cluster analysis; Italian Network for Research on Psychoses; schizophrenia; social cognition; theory of mind