Gender Differences in Social Cognition and Their Association With Functioning in Individuals With Non-Affective...

Previous studies in non-affective psychosis (NAP) consistently found that patients' functioning is associated with social cognition and gender, with higher functioning in female patients. This study investigated the impact of social cognition on the relationship between gender and functioning, and examined psychometric properties of the Narrative Emotions Task (NET) as a measure of social cognition with high ecological validity.

N = 95 outpatients with NAP were assessed regarding functioning, social cognition, and psychopathology. Correlations were computed and a potential indirect effect of gender on functioning, mediated by social cognition, was examined.

Results showed a significant positive correlation between social cognition and functioning, with female patients exhibiting higher functioning. There were no gender differences in the total score of the NET, and the indirect effect of social cognition through gender on functioning could not be confirmed. Gender differences in social cognition were only evident for the NET emotion perception index. Moreover, there was some evidence of a potentially mediating effect of emotion perception concerning the relationship between gender and functioning, but this effect was not significant when covariates were added to the analysis. The NET showed high internal consistency and was correlated with an established instrument of metacognition (Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated).

The findings equally broaden the picture and highlight the need for further investigation into gender differences in NAP, their underlying mechanisms, and their impact on functioning. The NET appears to be a feasible measure for assessing social cognition, going beyond laboratory tasks.