Social cognition and paranoia in forensic inpatients with schizophrenia: A cross-sectional study

Bratton, Helen; O'Rourke, Suzanne; Tansey, Louise; Hutton, Paul

Abstract

Background
People diagnosed with schizophrenia have difficulties in emotion recognition and theory of mind, and these may contribute to paranoia. The aim of this study was to determine whether this relationship is evident in patients residing in a secure forensic setting.

Method
Twenty-seven male participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and a history of offending behaviour were assessed using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), The Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ) and The Green et al. Paranoid Thought Scales (G-PTS). Individuals were recruited from two medium secure and one high secure forensic hospital in Scotland.

Results
Correlation, logistic and multiple regression analyses did not find that emotion recognition and theory of mind were associated with indices of paranoid thinking.

Conclusion
Social cognition did not appear to be related to indices of paranoia in this forensic sample. Although participants reported low levels of paranoia overall, the results are consistent with recent conclusions that theory of mind impairments are not specifically linked to paranoia in people diagnosed with schizophrenia

Citation

Bratton, H., O'Rourke, S., Tansey, L., & Hutton, P. (2016). Social cognition and paranoia in forensic inpatients with schizophrenia: A cross-sectional study. Schizophrenia Research, 184, 96-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2016.12.004

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 5, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Dec 12, 2016
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Deposit Date: Dec 15, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 13, 2017
• Journal: Schizophrenia Research
• Print ISSN: 0920-9964
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 184
• Pages: 96-102
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2016.12.004
• Keywords: Biological Psychiatry; Psychiatry and Mental health
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/454535