Insight, Psychopathology, and Interpersonal Relationships in Schizophrenia

Insight of patients with schizophrenia seems to be a complex phenomenon that includes elements of a psychological, psychopathological, neurocognitive, and interactional nature. The purpose of this research was to study two of these areas (psychopathology and interpersonal relationships) in order to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Schizophrenia bulletin 2002-01, Vol.28 (2), p.311-317
Main Authors: Vaz, Francisco J., Béjar, Agustín, Casado, Mariano
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition Disorders - diagnosis
Cognition Disorders - etiology
Female
Human
Humans
Insight
Interpersonal Interaction
Interpersonal Relations
Interpersonal Relationships
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Outpatient
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychoses
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - complications
Schizophrenic Psychology
Social Cognition
Social Perception
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Summary:Insight of patients with schizophrenia seems to be a complex phenomenon that includes elements of a psychological, psychopathological, neurocognitive, and interactional nature. The purpose of this research was to study two of these areas (psychopathology and interpersonal relationships) in order to determine their influence on insight and their interrelation. Eighty-two outpatients fulfilling DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia were studied using the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight (SAI), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and the Social Cognitions and Object Relations Scale (SCORS). Bivariate correlations and multiple regression tests were performed. The positive component of the PANSS and the understanding of social causality (SCORS) appeared as the most significant variables related to level of insight. Positive symptoms were inversely related to insight, whereas understanding of social causality was directly associated with an appropriate awareness of illness. These results support the idea that insight is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon. In this respect, the study of the psychopathological dimension of insight should be accompanied by the consideration of interactional and social factors, because awareness of illness can be considered ultimately as an index of concordance between patients' views of the illness and cultural standards regarding mental disorders.
ISSN:0586-7614
1745-1701
DOI:10.1093/oxfordjournals.schbul.a006940