Metacognition in schizophrenia and schizotypy: relation to symptoms of schizophrenia, traits of schizotypy and Social Quality of Life.

OBJECTIVE: The current study examined a mediation model in which symptoms of schizophrenia and schizotypy traits mediate the positive relations between metacognition and Social Quality of Life (SQoL) among persons with schizophrenia and persons without mental illness.
METHOD: 39 persons diagnosed with schizophrenia and 60 persons without a severe mental illness diagnosis participated in this study. Instruments included the Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated (MAS-A), the SQoL scale of the QLI-MH, the PANSS scale and the O-LIFE self-report questionnaire that assesses schizotypy traits.
RESULTS: Persons with schizophrenia exhibit lower SQoL and metacognitive abilities than persons without mental illness. For persons with schizophrenia, negative symptoms mediate the positive relation between the ability to understand other persons' minds and SQoL. However, although for persons without mental illness, understanding other minds was found to correlate negatively with introvertive anhedonia and SQoL, a mediation model was not confirmed. DISCUSSION: Understanding of others' minds seems relevant to the SQoL for both samples. In addition, negative symptoms of schizophrenia and introvertive anedonia traits are also related to SQoL among persons with schizophrenia and among persons without mental illness respectively. The lack of support for a mediation model for persons without mental illness is consistent with the theories that claim schizotypy is not a mirror image of schizophrenia and, therefore, may not necessarily lead to schizophrenia. Limitations of this study and suggestions for future research are discussed.