Social competence and positive and negative symptoms: a longitudinal study of children and adolescents at risk for schizophrenia and affective disorders

Article Abstract:

Researchers have increasing emphasized the distinction between positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Positive symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, and certain types of thought disorder; flat affect and other types of thought disorder are considered negative symptoms. These groups of symptoms are hypothesized to represent different underlying processes in the disease. In the present study, positive and negative symptoms and social competence were measured in 44 children at risk for schizophrenia, 38 children at risk for affective disorders (e.g., depression), and 62 matched normal children. The children were considered at-risk for a particular disorder, if they had a parent with that disorder. The study was longitudinal in design; at the first assessment, children were an average of 9 years old; at the second, they were an average of 12.3 years old; and at the third evaluation, they were an average of 15.4 years old; representing childhood, early adolescence, and adolescence, respectively. In childhood, there were no significant group differences on measures of social competence, negative symptoms, or positive symptoms as rated by standardized scales. By early adolescence, however, children at risk for schizophrenia began to show a deficit in social competence compared with the normal control children and the children at risk for affective disorders. They also had more positive thought disorders than children at risk for affective disorder, but they did not differ from normal children in this regard. There were no differences among the groups on negative symptoms. In adolescence, children at risk for schizophrenia maintained a relatively poor level of social competence compared with the other groups and had greater positive and negative symptoms. It is concluded that children at risk for schizophrenia are more likely than others to have social deficits in early adolescence and adolescence, and these children also have greater positive and negative symptoms in adolescence. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Psychological aspects, Affective disorders, Mood disorders, Social skills in children, Children's social skills

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Patterns of sex differences in negative symptoms and social functioning consistent with separate dimensions of schizophrenic psychopathology

Article Abstract:

When speaking of the symptomatology of mental illness, a distinction is made between what are termed positive symptoms, such as delusions and hallucinations, and negative symptoms, such as emotional deficits and thought disorders. In studying social dysfunction among schizophrenics, opinions differ as to whether its roots lie in negative, positive, or a mixture of both types of symptoms. To further clarify this issue, 151 schizophrenic subjects and their twins were analyzed for the presence of negative and positive symptoms. Significant differences between positive and negative symptoms were not found between male and female schizophrenic subjects. Schizophrenic men had significantly more social problems both before and after onset of their illness than schizophrenic women. Because this was not associated with more negative symptoms, it suggests that disordered social relationships result from separate functional processes in the development of schizophrenia. Based on these findings, the authors suggest that social functioning in schizophrenics should be examined separately from negative symptoms, and not simply included as one component of negative symptomatology. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Schizophrenics

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Comorbid association of autism and schizophrenia

Article Abstract:

Autism, a developmental disorder, and schizophrenia are not generally thought to be related, but there is some evidence to suggest that those with autism are at higher risk of developing schizophrenia later in life. The conditions may therefore be related, calling into question the differentiation maintained by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, third Edition, revised (DSM-III-R), which is a major diagnostic aid for clinicians and researchers. To evaluate the likelihood of a relationship between autism and schizophrenia, case records of 163 adolescents and adults, all with a history of autism, were reviewed for history of schizophrenia. Only one patient (0.6 percent) had a definitive history of schizophrenia, which is similar to the frequency at which this condition is seen in the general population. The authors discuss limitations, such as the size, and the potential biases of the study. However, based on the data, no evidence of a relationship between autism and schizophrenia was found. It is concluded that current diagnostic conventions are not in need of re-evaluation. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Complications and side effects, Autism

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