Geneviève Sauvé1, Rex B Kline2, Jai L Shah3, Ridha Joober4, Ashok Malla5, Mathieu B Brodeur6, Martin Lepage7. 1. Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Verdun, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada. Electronic address: genevieve.sauve@mail.mcgill.ca. 2. Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke West, Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada. Electronic address: rex.kline@concordia.ca. 3. Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Verdun, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada. Electronic address: jai.shah@mcgill.ca. 4. Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Verdun, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada. Electronic address: ridha.joober@douglas.mcgill.ca. 5. Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Verdun, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada. Electronic address: ashok.malla@mcgill.ca. 6. Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Verdun, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada. Electronic address: mathieu.brodeur@douglas.mcgill.ca. 7. Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Verdun, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada. Electronic address: martin.lepage@mcgill.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Lack of insight is a frequent characteristic of psychotic disorders, both in patients who recently experienced a first episode of psychosis (FEP) and those who experience recurrent multiple episodes (MEP). Insight is a multifaceted construct: its clinical form notably includes the unawareness of being ill, of symptoms, and of the need for treatment. Cognitive capacity is among the key determinants of insight into symptoms, but less is known about whether stage of illness (FEP vs. MEP) moderates this association. METHODS: Our aim is to evaluate the association between cognitive capacity and symptom unawareness using structural equation modeling and moderated multiple regression. A total of 193 FEP and MEP patients were assessed using the CogState battery and the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder. RESULTS: Analyses suggest that cognitive capacity accounts for a relatively small proportion of the total variation in symptom unawareness (6.4%). There was no evidence to suggest a moderating effect of stage of illness on this association. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of general cognitive capacity on symptom unawareness is relatively small, and this basic relation was unrelated to stage of illness. It is possible that stage of illness could moderate this association only for certain facets of insight not assessed in this study (e.g., unawareness of the need for treatment).
BACKGROUND: Lack of insight is a frequent characteristic of psychotic disorders, both in patients who recently experienced a first episode of psychosis (FEP) and those who experience recurrent multiple episodes (MEP). Insight is a multifaceted construct: its clinical form notably includes the unawareness of being ill, of symptoms, and of the need for treatment. Cognitive capacity is among the key determinants of insight into symptoms, but less is known about whether stage of illness (FEP vs. MEP) moderates this association. METHODS: Our aim is to evaluate the association between cognitive capacity and symptom unawareness using structural equation modeling and moderated multiple regression. A total of 193 FEP and MEP patients were assessed using the CogState battery and the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder. RESULTS: Analyses suggest that cognitive capacity accounts for a relatively small proportion of the total variation in symptom unawareness (6.4%). There was no evidence to suggest a moderating effect of stage of illness on this association. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of general cognitive capacity on symptom unawareness is relatively small, and this basic relation was unrelated to stage of illness. It is possible that stage of illness could moderate this association only for certain facets of insight not assessed in this study (e.g., unawareness of the need for treatment).