Theory of mind in schizophrenia
Open Access
- 1 July 2007
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Royal College of Psychiatrists in The British Journal of Psychiatry
- Vol. 191 (1), 5-13
- https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.107.035899
Abstract
Background: Mentalising impairment (an impaired ability to think about people in terms of their mental states) has frequently been associated with schizophrenia.Aims: To assess the magnitude of the deficit and analyse associated factors.Method: Twenty-nine studies of mentalising in schizophrenia (combined n = 1518), published between January 1993 and May 2006, were included to estimate overall effect size. Study descriptors predicted to influence effect size were analysed using weighted regression-analysis techniques. Separate analyses were performed for symptom subgroups and task types.Results: The estimated overall effect size was large and statistically significant (d= –1.255, P < 0.001) and was not significantly affected by sample characteristics. All symptom subgroups showed significant mentalising impairment, but participants with symptoms of disorganisation were significantly more impaired than the other subgroups (P<0.01).Conclusions: This meta-analysis showed significant and stable mentalising impairment in schizophrenia. The finding that patients in remission are also impaired favours the notion that mentalising impairment represents a possible trait marker of schizophrenia.Keywords
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