The relationship between sub-clinical obsessive-compulsive symptoms and social cognition in chronic schizophrenia

Comorbid obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms in individuals with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia are related to poorer cognitive performance and functional outcomes, but no study to date has assessed whether this comorbidity might also have implications for social cognition. The aim of the present study was to provide the first test of this possibility.

Individuals with schizophrenia (n = 34) and demographically matched non-clinical controls (n = 44) were assessed on two of the most important aspects of social cognitive function (1) facial affect recognition and (2) theory of mind, alongside more standard measures of cognitive function.

The presence of OC symptoms was related to poorer performance on some of the cognitive measures, as well as one of the social cognitive measures (facial affect recognition). However, these relationships disappeared after controlling for scores on more general indices of schizophrenia psychopathology.

The presence of OC symptoms in schizophrenia is not only associated with increased cognitive impairment but also increased difficulties with at least some aspects of social cognitive function. However, these relationships appear to reflect the elevated levels of psychopathology seen in this cohort more generally, rather than being uniquely attributable to OC symptomatology.