Social cognition in first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia and mania with psychotic symptoms: A comparative study

Abstract

Background: Non-affective psychosis refers to psychosis unrelated to mood or affect. Affective psychosis is a psychological disorder where people experience a loss of contact with reality and experience mood disturbances working as a primary cause. The focus has been shifted to the first-degree relatives of these populations to prevent the disorder at the earliest. So, the first-degree relatives are known to be a high-risk population with genetic vulnerability. These two disorders (schizophrenia and mania with psychotic symptoms) show various impairments in various field but these impairments are present to define these disorders, unaffected relatives of these two disorders for different areas like social, cognitive, neurocognitive and social functioning. Cognitive dysfunction and social cognition dysfunction as a trait marker nearly established in affective and non- affective populations. Aims and Objectives: Purpose of this study to assess social cognition, neurocognition and social functioning in FDRs of patients with schizophrenia and mania with psychotic symptoms. Methodology: The sample consisted of 30 FDRs of patients with schizophrenia and mania with psychotic symptoms and 15 normal healthy control. After the initial screening by the clinical assessments, based on their amenability for the interview, Social Cognition Rating Tools in Indian Setting (SOCRATIS) was applied to all three groups. Result and Conclusion: The study found that first degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia group found to be lower in externalized attribution bias on a measure of social cognition compared to FDRs of patients with mania with psychotic symptoms group and healthy controls. And the FDRs of patients with schizophrenia and mania with psychotic symptoms groups were found higher in reaction time in trail making on a measure of neurocognition compared to healthy controls.

Keywords

• affective and nonaffective psychosis
• first-degree relatives
• mania
• schizophrenia
• social cognition