[Metacognitive deficit in schizophrenia: Characteristics and links]

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Schizophrenia is often characterized by metacognitive deficits, affecting the ability to understand oneself and others.
• Assessing these deficits is crucial for understanding the broader impact of schizophrenia on cognitive and social functioning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the extent of metacognitive deficits in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.
• To identify sociodemographic, clinical, and therapeutic factors associated with metacognitive impairment.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted with 74 adult schizophrenia patients in a non-acute phase.
• Data collected included sociodemographic information, clinical symptoms (PANSS), insight (Q8), and metacognitive capacity (MAS-A).
• Statistical analyses, including multivariate analysis, were used to determine predictors of metacognitive deficit.

Main Results:

• All 74 schizophrenia patients exhibited metacognitive deficits across all four MAS-A dimensions, with 'Mastery' being the most affected.
• Significant correlations were found between metacognitive deficit and occupational inactivity, low education, tobacco use, poor insight, negative symptoms, and first-generation antipsychotic use.
• Multivariate analysis identified occupational inactivity, low insight, and negative symptomatology as independent predictors of metacognitive deficits.

Conclusions:

• Occupational inactivity, negative symptomatology, and low insight are significant predictors of metacognitive deficit in schizophrenia.
• Therapeutic strategies should target these factors, potentially including metacognitive training programs.
• Improving metacognitive capacity is a priority for enhancing the quality of life for individuals with schizophrenia.