Social functioning in schizophrenia: Comparing laboratory-based assessment with real-world measures

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Behavioral Science
• Clinical Psychology
• Human Behavior

Background:

• Social functioning is a key outcome in schizophrenia, yet its measurement varies.
• Technological advancements enable objective, real-world behavioral assessments.
• Limited research exists on the convergent validity of real-world versus laboratory-based social functioning measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the convergent validity of four social functioning measures.
• To compare interview-based scales, self-reported ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and passive ambulatory ecological assessment.
• To evaluate these measures in individuals with schizophrenia and control participants.

Main Methods:

• Collected data from 36 individuals with schizophrenia and 33 controls.
• Administered two interview-based rating scales.
• Utilized self-reported EMA and passive, ambulatory ecological assessment for real-world data.

Main Results:

• Small correlations (r=0.17-0.19) between interview and real-world measures across the sample.
• Moderate correlations (r=0.36) among real-world measures.
• In schizophrenia group, interview measures showed moderate association with ambulatory assessment (r=0.38-0.47) but not EMA (r=0.15-0.17).

Conclusions:

• Social functioning assessments lack high convergence, likely measuring different facets.
• Laboratory measures provide global impressions; real-world measures offer nuanced insights.
• Ambulatory ecological assessment may best capture daily social interaction frequency in schizophrenia, offering a less biased evaluation.