Metacognitive and Social Cognition Deficits in Patients With Significant Psychiatric and Medical Adversity

Abstract

Research exploring metacognition and social cognition in schizophrenia has tended to use control groups experiencing relatively little adversity. Therefore, it remains unclear whether the deficits found among persons with schizophrenia are merely the result of greater life adversity. To explore this issue, we assessed metacognition and social cognition among 40 participants with schizophrenia and 25 adults with HIV. We chose to explore this phenomenon in people with HIV given the literature suggesting that this group experiences significant adversity. Measures of metacognition and social cognition included the Metacognition Assessment Scale (MAS), the Hinting test, and the Bell-Lysaker Emotion Recognition Test (BLERT). After controlling for education, years since diagnosis, and memory, the schizophrenia group performed more poorly on the MAS and the Hinting test. No differences were found on the BLERT. The results are consistent with the possibility that schizophrenia is linked to decrements in metacognition and some forms of social cognition.