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Background Social cognition and metacognition have emerged as cornerstones of research and treatment of schizophrenia. Both constructs are known to influence the onset of psychosis, to predict functional outcome and to be associated with symptoms. However, whether the deficits in first-episode psychosis are homogeneous or group in patterns remains to be studied. This study aimed to analyze patterns of social cognitive and metacognitive variables in a sample of subjects with first-episode psychosis. Methods We recruited 192 subjects with first-episode psychosis from ten public mental-health services in Spain. We collected: demographic information, measures of functioning, performance in social cognition (the Faces Test, IPSAQ and the Hinting Task), a battery of metacognitive tasks (BCIS, and the Beads Task) and a neuropsychological assessment. We performed a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) with the metacognitive and social-cognitive variables. The variable importance was assessed via a classification tree (CART) and the mean differences among the resulting groups for clinical, neuropsychological and functioning variables were calculated with ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results Our sample was comprised of 192 (62 women) with first-episode psychosis. The mean age of the sample was 27.93(1.39). The mean PANSS total score of the sample was 58.48 (17.79). The average GAF score was 58.93 (12.25). We included 174 cases with complete social-cognitive and metacognitive data in the cluster analysis. We identified three type-VEE clusters (i.e. ellipsoidal clusters with equal shape and orientation) according to BIC (BIC=-3600.651). The 85-15 condition of the Beads Task and the Hinting Task emerged as the most important variables in determining the clustering structure. The first cluster (60.9%) was characterized by average scores in most of the metacognitive and social cognitive variables, but the presence of the jumping to conclusions bias. The second cluster (5.7%) was characterized by low self-reflectiveness, presence of personalizing bias and an excessive number of trials in the beads task. The third cluster (33.5%) was characterized by average scores in all metacognitive tasks but low scores in the social cognitive tasks. Discussion We found three clusters in a large sample of subjects with first-episode psychosis. Our results indicate that the three groups differ in the proneness to present deficits in specific domains. Furthermore, in our sample, patients may not exhibit a homogeneous deficit in all social-cognitive and metacognitive variables. Instead, the impairment may be particularly prominent in either social-cognitive or metacognitive variables. Subjects in different clusters may present differences in their clinical characteristics, what could be relevant in the treatment. Therefore, with further research, a thorough assessment of social cognition and metacognition may help personalize the treatment according to the person’s subtype of the deficit. more...

Background: Metacognitive training (MCT) has demonstrated its efficacy in psychosis. However, the effect of each MCT session has not been studied. The aim of the study was to assess changes in cognitive insight after MCT: (a) between baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up; (b) after each session of the MCT controlled for intellectual quotient (IQ) and educational level. Method: A total of 65 patients with first-episode psychosis were included in the MCT group from nine centers of Spain. Patients were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 6 months follow-up, as well as after each session of MCT with the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS). The BCIS contains two subscales: self-reflectiveness and self-certainty, and the Composite Index. Statistical analysis was performed using linear mixed models with repeated measures at different time points. Results: Self-certainty decreased significantly (p = 0.03) over time and the effect of IQ was negative and significant (p = 0.02). From session 4 to session 8, all sessions improved cognitive insight by significantly reducing self-certainty and the Composite Index. Conclusions: MCT intervention appears to have beneficial effects on cognitive insight by reducing self-certainty, especially after four sessions. Moreover, a minimum IQ is required to ensure benefits from MCT group intervention. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. more...

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) in schizophrenia have been characterized by their negative emotional valence. However, positive hallucinations have also been described. The objective of the current study is to explore the prevalence, course, characteristics, and associations of positive and useful voices. The Positive and Useful Voices Inquiry and some clinical and functioning instruments were administered to a sample of 68 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder presenting with AVHs. Both the lifetime and current prevalences of positive and useful voices were high. Although AVHs tended to remain stable, there was a trend to decrease over time. The strongest positive attributions of such voices were that they help patients to feel important, amuse them, and help them to conduct their studies and carry out their profession. They seem to be mainly related to more grandiosity and to worse general functioning. Interference with biological and psychological treatments and the need for personalized formulations in patients with auditory hallucinations are discussed. more...

BACKGROUND: Aims were to assess the efficacy of metacognitive training (MCT) in people with a recent onset of psychosis in terms of symptoms as a primary outcome and metacognitive variables as a secondary outcome. METHOD: A multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial was performed. A total of 126 patients were randomized to an MCT or a psycho-educational intervention with cognitive-behavioral elements. The sample was composed of people with a recent onset of psychosis, recruited from nine public centers in Spain. The treatment consisted of eight weekly sessions for both groups. Patients were assessed at three time-points: baseline, post-treatment, and at 6 months follow-up. The evaluator was blinded to the condition of the patient. Symptoms were assessed with the PANSS and metacognition was assessed with a battery of questionnaires of cognitive biases and social cognition. RESULTS: Both MCT and psycho-educational groups had improved symptoms post-treatment and at follow-up, with greater improvements in the MCT group. The MCT group was superior to the psycho-educational group on the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS) total (p = 0.026) and self-certainty (p = 0.035) and dependence self-subscale of irrational beliefs, comparing baseline and post-treatment. Moreover, comparing baseline and follow-up, the MCT group was better than the psycho-educational group in self-reflectiveness on the BCIS (p = 0.047), total BCIS (p = 0.045), and intolerance to frustration (p = 0.014). Jumping to Conclusions (JTC) improved more in the MCT group than the psycho-educational group (p = 0.021). Regarding the comparison within each group, Theory of Mind (ToM), Personalizing Bias, and other subscales of irrational beliefs improved in the MCT group but not the psycho-educational group (p < 0.001-0.032). CONCLUSIONS: MCT could be an effective psychological intervention for people with recent onset of psychosis in order to improve cognitive insight, JTC, and tolerance to frustration. It seems that MCT could be useful to improve symptoms, ToM, and personalizing bias. more...