The link between formal thought disorder and social functioning in schizophrenia: A meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Formal thought disorder (FTD) and social functioning impairments are core symptoms of schizophrenia.
• The precise relationship between FTD and social functioning has remained unclear despite extensive observation.
• Methodological variations in assessing these constructs may contribute to inconsistent findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the association between FTD and social functioning in schizophrenia.
• To investigate whether assessment methodologies moderate the relationship between FTD and social functioning.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines.
• Correlations from eligible studies were extracted to calculate weighted mean effect sizes.
• A random effects model was employed for the meta-analysis.

Main Results:

• The meta-analysis included 13 studies with 1,478 participants.
• A small-to-medium inverse association was found between FTD and social functioning (r = -0.23, p < 0.001).
• No significant moderation of this relationship was observed based on methodology, study quality, demographics, or clinical factors.

Conclusions:

• A negative association exists between formal thought disorder and social functioning in schizophrenia.
• The observed relationship is robust across different assessment methods and clinical characteristics.
• Future research should explore mediating factors like social cognition to explain variability in this association.