Frontiers in Psychiatry (Feb 2023)

Associations between theory of mind and clinical symptoms in recent onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders

  • Audrey Cayouette,
  • Audrey Cayouette,
  • Élisabeth Thibaudeau,
  • Caroline Cellard,
  • Caroline Cellard,
  • Marc-André Roy,
  • Marc-André Roy,
  • Amélie M. Achim,
  • Amélie M. Achim

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1044682
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14

Abstract

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IntroductionPeople with schizophrenia often present with Theory of mind (ToM) deficits, and the link between these deficits and clinical symptoms remains to be refined, for instance through the use of more recent assessment methods. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between a psychometrically sound ToM task and the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia as measured with the five dimensions of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) namely positive, negative, cognitive/disorganization, depression/anxiety and excitability/hostility, while controlling for non-social cognitive abilities.MethodsSeventy participants with recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) were assessed for ToM using the Combined stories task (COST) and for clinical symptoms using the PANSS.ResultsThe results revealed significant correlations between ToM and the positive (r = −0.292, p = 0.015) and cognitive/disorganization (r = −0.480, p < 0.001) dimensions when controlling for non-social cognitive abilities. In contrast, the negative symptoms dimension was only significantly correlated with ToM when non-social cognitive abilities were not controlled for (r = −0.278, p = 0.020).DiscussionVery few prior studies used the five-dimensions of the PANSS to examine the link with ToM and this study is the first to rely on the COST, which includes a non-social control condition. This study highlights the importance of taking non-social cognitive abilities into account when considering the relationship between ToM and symptoms.

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