Study of faux pas recognition and belief understanding in early-onset schizophrenia

Abstract

Objective To explore the cognitive function of the theory of mind(TOM) in early-onset schizophrenia from faux pas recognition and belief understanding dimensions. Methods 41 early-onset schizophrenias(EOS)and 40 normal adolescents were interviewed by the Chinese version of faux pas recognition task and theory of mind picture-sequencing task(ToM-PST), then early-onset schizophrenias cognitive features were analyzed. Results ①In faux pas recognition task, compared with healthy subjects, EOS showed significantly less total scores (16.11±6.34 vs 20.86±7.79, P 0.05). ②In ToM-PST task, early-onset schizophrenic patients also had significantly less total score(17.29±3.38 vs 21.48±1.73, P 0.05)except the subscores of understanding the first order belief(P<0.01). Conclusion The theory of mind is apparent damage in early onset schizophrenia and non-significant correlation is found with psychiatric symptoms. Key words: Early onset schizophrenia; Theory of mind; Faux pas recognition; Belief understanding