Meta-analysis of the relationship between metacognition and disorganized symptoms in psychosis

Disorganized symptoms show associations with metacognitive deficits in psychosis. However, the magnitude of this relationship is unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to 1) quantify relationships between metacognition and both disorganized symptoms and disorganized speech; and 2) examine moderators of these relationships (e.g., metacognition type, neurocognition).

A literature search was conducted using PsycINFO, Web of Science, PubMed, and EMBASE databases. English-language studies measuring disorganized symptoms and metacognition (i.e., introspective accuracy, metacognitive beliefs, or metacognitive capacity) in psychosis were included. Random effects meta-analyses were conducted using Pearson's r.

Meta-analysis of 20 studies (n = 1490) resulted in a significant negative medium correlation between disorganized symptoms and metacognition (r = -0.332, 95 % CI [-0.423, -0.235]). Magnitude was moderated by metacognition type. A significant negative small correlation between disorganized speech and metacognition (r = -0.173, 95 % CI [-0.254, -0.089], n = 1470) was observed, with no significant moderators.

Results clarify the magnitude of the relationships between metacognition and both disorganized symptoms and disorganized speech. Significant relationships may indicate conceptual links, yet the different magnitudes may reflect a distinction between disorganized symptoms and speech. The moderator finding highlights that metacognitive capacity has an especially strong link to disorganized symptoms and underscores the need for careful distinction between types of metacognition in future work.