Samuel Murphy, Shaun M Eack, Russell K Schutt, Matthew A Killam, Jonathan Delman, Diane K Beckman, Maralee Litschge, Emily K Wilner, Raquelle Mesholam-Gately, Kathryn E Lewandowski, Kim T Mueser, Sarah I Pratt, Luis Sandoval, Haiyi Xie, Matcheri S Keshavan
Social cognition and social skills, while distinct constructs, demonstrate similar influence on psychosocial functioning, particularly social connection. Interventions that incorporate both constructs as treatment targets may prove effective in addressing a wide range of functional outcomes.
PURPOSE: Individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia often experience challenges with social connection, leading to diminished community functioning and quality of life. Psychosocial interventions address these challenges through training the mental processes that guide interpretation of social interactions (social cognition) or strengthening the conversational and paralinguistic techniques needed to navigate social situations (social skills). While social cognition and social skills are integral to social connection, questions remain about their interrelation and influence on treatment outcomes. This study sought to examine the latent structure and interrelatedness of social skills and social cognition to better understand their influence on psychosocial functioning.
METHODS: A total of 194 outpatients with schizophrenia from a multisite comparative effectiveness study of two psychosocial interventions were assessed pre-treatment on an array of social functioning, social skills, and social cognitive measures. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to examine overlap of social cognitive and social skills dimensions, and resulting composite factors were incorporated within multivariate regression models predicting psychosocial functioning.
RESULTS: A 3-factor solution was identified, with social cognition retained within an emotion management factor, while social skills separated into two factors assessing conversational engagement and coherence of communication. Social cognition and social skill factors predicted improved interpersonal and motivational domains of psychosocial functioning while the social cognition factor uniquely predicted improved role performance/instrumental functioning.
CONCLUSIONS: Social cognition and social skills, while distinct constructs, demonstrate similar influence on psychosocial functioning, particularly social connection. Interventions that incorporate both constructs as treatment targets may prove effective in addressing a wide range of functional outcomes.