Differences In Social Functioning Research Articles

Assessment of the quality of life in metastatic colorectal cancer patients with KRAS gene mutant: a case-control study

BackgroundThe mutation of the KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma virus) gene is a prevalent genetic alteration in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). According to previous research, this mutation significantly affects clinical outcomes and quality of life (QOL). This research investigated the association between KRAS mutant status and various aspects of QOL in mCRC patients.MethodsThis case-control study involved 90 admitted patients with mCRC. The patients were either mCRC with positive KRAS mutants (case group) or those without the mutation (control group). The KRAS mutation status of each patient was determined using standard molecular testing. The QOL was evaluated through validated questionnaires from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), including QLQ-C30 and the QLQ-CR29 questionnaire for colorectal cancer patients. Differences in QOL between the groups and the association of QOL with the odds of KRAS mutation were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests.ResultsPatients in the wild-type KRAS group had significantly higher scores on the global health status (GHS) of the QLQ-C30 scale compared to those with a KRAS mutation [(64.26 ± 4.63 vs. 49.63 ± 4, crude; p = 0.019, adjusted; p = 0.024). The mean score of the social functioning scale of the KRAS mutation group was significantly higher than the wild-type [(40 ± 5.84 vs. 24.81 ± 4.39, crude; p = 0.040, adjusted; p = 0.021)]. Based on the QLQ-CR29 questionnaire, average QOL scores were suboptimal for both groups but insignificant. Further, both crude and adjusted analyses showed that KRAS mutation odds were significantly linked to improved social functioning [(crude; OR = 1.013; P = 0.044), (adjusted; OR = 1.017; P = 0.019)] and negatively associated with GHS [(crude; OR = 0.983; P = 0.022), (adjusted; OR = 0.982; P = 0.022)].ConclusionThe study revealed a low QOL in mCRC, a notable difference in social functioning, and the GHS among patients with and without mutations. Further research is needed to develop targeted interventions to enhance QOL in patients with KRAS mutation.

Negative symptoms in treatment-resistant schizophrenia and its relationship with functioning

BackgroundRecent operational criteria for treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) recognized positive and negative symptoms. TRS patients may have heterogeneity in negative symptoms, but empirical data were lacking. We aimed to characterize TRS patients based on negative symptoms using cluster analysis, and to examine between-cluster differences in social functioning. MethodsWe administered the Clinical Assessment Interview of Negative symptoms (CAINS), Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Social and Occupational Functional Assessment (SOFAS to 126 TRS outpatients. All patients also completed the Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS), the Emotion Expressivity Scale (EES), and the Social Functional Scale (SFS). A two-stage hierarchical cluster analysis was performed with the CAINS, TEPS and EES as clustering variables. We validated the clusters using ANOVAs to compare group differences in the BNSS, PANSS, SOFAS and SFS. ResultsClustering indices supported a 3-cluster solution. Clusters 1 (n = 46) and 3 (n = 16) exhibited higher CAINS scores than Cluster 2 (n = 64), and were negative-symptom TRS subtypes. Cluster 1 reported lower TEPS than Cluster 3; but Cluster 3 reported lower EES than Cluster 1. Upon validation, Clusters 1 and 3 exhibited higher BNSS scores than Cluster 2, but only Cluster 1 exhibited lower SOFAS and higher PANSS general symptoms than Cluster 2. Both Clusters 1 and 3 had higher self-report functioning than Cluster 2. ConclusionWe provided evidence for heterogeneity of negative symptoms in TRS. Negative symptoms can characterize TRS patients and predict functional outcome.

Linking social reward responsiveness and affective responses to the social environment: An ecological momentary assessment study.

Social support is a key predictor of well-being, but not everyone experiences mental health benefits from receiving it. However, given that a growing number of interventions are based on social support, it is crucial to identify the features that make individuals more likely to benefit from social ties. Emerging evidence suggests that neural responses to positive social feedback (i.e., social reward) might relate to individual differences in social functioning, but potential mechanisms linking these neural responses to psychological outcomes are yet unclear. This study examined whether neural correlates of social reward processing, indexed by the reward positivity (RewP), relate to individuals' affective experience following self-reported real-world positive social support events. To this aim, 193 university students (71% females) underwent an EEG assessment during the Island Getaway task and completed a 10-day ecological momentary assessment where participants reported their positive and negative affects (PA, NA) nine times a day and the count of daily positive and negative events. Experiencing a higher number of social support positive events was associated with higher PA. The RewP moderated this association, such that individuals with greater neural response to social feedback at baseline had a stronger positive association between social support positive events count and PA. Individual differences in the RewP to social feedback might be one indicator of the likelihood of experiencing positive affect when receiving social support.

Oral microbiota in autistic children: Diagnosis-related differences and associations with clinical characteristics

Similar to the gut microbiome, oral microbiome compositions have been suggested to play an important role in the etiology of autism. However, empirical research on how variations in the oral microbiome relate to clinical-behavioral difficulties associated with autism remains sparse. Furthermore, it is largely unknown how potentially confounding lifestyle variables, such as oral health and nutrition, may impact these associations. To fill this gap, the current study examined diagnosis-related differences in oral microbiome composition between 80 school-aged autistic children (8–12 years; 64 boys, 16 girls) versus 40 age-matched typically developing peers (32 boys, 8 girls). In addition, associations with individual differences in social functioning (SRS-2), repetitive behavior (RBS-R) and anxiety (SCARED) were explored, as well as the impact of several lifestyle variables regarding nutrition and oral health. Results provide important indications that the bacterial genera Solobacterium, Stomatobaculum, Ruminococcaceae UCG.014, Tannerella and Campylobacter were significantly more abundant in autistic compared to non-autistic children. Furthermore, the former four bacteria that were significantly more abundant in the autistic children showed significant associations with parent-reported social difficulties, repetitive and restrictive behavior and with parent-reported anxiety-like behavior. Importantly, associations among oral microbiome and quantitative diagnostic characteristics were not significantly driven by differences in lifestyle variables. This exploratory study reveals significant differences in oral microbiome composition between autistic and non-autistic children, even while controlling for potential confounding lifestyle variables. Furthermore, the significant associations with clinical characteristics suggest that individual differences in microbiome composition might be involved in shaping the clinical phenotype of autism. However, these associations warrant further exploration of the oral microbiome's potential beyond the oral cavity and specifically with respect to neuropsychiatric conditions.

Application of the Left Lateral Decubitus Position in Laparoscopic Right Posterior Lobectomy.

To investigate the value of the left lateral decubitus position in laparoscopic right posterior lobe tumor resection. The clinical data of patients who underwent laparoscopic right posterior lobectomy from January 2020 to March 2023 were retrospectively collected and divided into group A (left lateral decubitus position group, n=30) and group B (conventional position group, n=35) according to different body positions. Intraoperative and postoperative data were collected and compared between the 2 groups. The operation time (210.43±57.56 vs. 281.97±65.89, t =5.887, P <0.05), hilar occlusion time (23.97±14.25 vs. 35.79±12.62, t =4.791, P <0.05), intraoperative blood loss (162.14±72.61 vs. 239.65±113.56, t =5.713, P <0.05), postoperative feeding time (1.13±0.36 vs. 1.57±0.67, t =3.681, P <0.05), postoperative visual analog scale score (5.16±0.89 vs. 7.42±1.31, t =3.721, P <0.05), postoperative abdominal drainage tube indwelling time (4.58±1.34 vs. 5.42±1.52, t =4.553, P <0.05), incidence rate of complications (43.33% vs. 82.86%, χ 2 =11.075, P <0.05) in group A were lower than those in group B ( P <0.05). Symptoms/side effects (32.42±3.42 vs. 27.44±3.31, t =4.331, P <0.05), and there were significant differences in social function (33.55±2.56 vs. 29.31±3.32, t =4.863, P <0.05). For right posterior lobe tumors of the liver, the left lateral decubitus position has many advantages in laparoscopic right posterior lobectomy, such as a wide field of view, simple steps, a short operation time, less bleeding, and a high postoperative quality of life. It is an effective treatment for right posterior lobe tumors of the liver and is worthy of being widely popularized.

Co-occurring chronic pain and primary psychological disorders in adolescents: A scoping review.

Long-term health conditions, whether mental or physical, often co-occur in adolescents. For instance, adolescents with chronic pain may experience co-occurring primary psychological disorders. In this scoping review, we determine the influence of co-occurring chronic pain and primary psychological disorders on adolescents' functioning. A systematic search of six databases was conducted to identify articles if they were: (1) peer-reviewed; (2) reported original findings; (3) included participants aged 11-19 years, who experienced chronic pain (i.e., pain lasting 3 months or more) and had a co-occurring diagnosis of a primary psychological disorder; and (4) assessed functioning. Searches returned 9864 articles after the removal of duplicates. A two-phase abstract and full-text screening process identified two eligible articles which compared emotional functioning (n = 1) and social functioning (n = 2) between groups of adolescents with co-occurring chronic pain and primary psychological disorders with adolescents only reporting chronic pain. Overall findings revealed no differences in social functioning, but adolescents with co-occurring chronic pain and a primary psychological disorder (depression and anxiety) reported worse emotional functioning compared with adolescents with chronic pain alone. This review confirms the limited research on the co-occurrence of primary psychological disorders and chronic pain in adolescents by only identifying two eligible articles exploring the co-occurrence of chronic pain with depression, anxiety, and/or attentional disorders.

Social problems and brain structure development following childhood mild traumatic brain injury

Childhood mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is associated with elevated risk of developing social problems, which may be underpinned by changes in the structural developmental trajectory of the social brain, a network of cortical regions supporting social cognition and behavior. However, limited sample sizes and cross-sectional designs generally used in neuroimaging studies of pediatric TBI have prevented explorations of this hypothesis. This longitudinal retrospective study examined the development of parent-reported social problems and cortical thickness in social brain regions following childhood mTBI using data from the large population-based Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Two-group latent change score models revealed different developmental trajectories from ages 10–12 years in the level of social problems between children with (n = 345) and without (n = 7,089) mTBI. Children with mTBI showed higher, but non-clinical, levels of social problems than controls at age 10. Then, social problems decreased over 2 years, but still remained higher, but non-clinical, than in controls in which they stayed stable. Both groups showed similar decreases in social brain cortical thickness between ages 10 and 12 years. Further studies providing detailed information on the injury mechanism and acute symptoms are needed to better understand individual differences in social functioning and brain development in pediatric TBI.

Contributions of face processing, social anhedonia and mentalizing to the expression of social autistic-like traits.

Quantitative autistic-like traits (QATs) are a constellation of traits that mirror those of clinical autism and are thought to share the same mechanisms as the condition. There is great interest in identifying the genetic and neurobiological basis of QATs, but progress is hindered by the composite nature of these clinically based constructs. Social QATs are defined according to the diagnostic criteria for autism, comprising multiple potential neural mechanisms that may contribute to varying degrees. The objective of this study was to decompose social QATs into more specific constructs, in line with the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC). We chose constructs with trait-like properties and known or suggested significance for autistic social function: (1) social anhedonia, (2) prosopagnosia (face blindness), and (3) mentalizing (attributing mental states to images of eyes). We hypothesized that these constructs may all contribute to observed variance in social QATs. We recruited 148 adults with a broad range of QATs (mean age 37.9 years, range 18-69; 50% female; 5.4% autistic) to an experimental behavioral study conducted online. We estimated social QATs using the social factor of the Comprehensive Autistic Traits Inventory. We used the Oxford Face Matching Task and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test to measure face matching ability and mentalizing, respectively. Social anhedonia traits were measured with the Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale, and prosopagnosic traits with the 20-item Prosopagnosia Index. A combination of frequentist and Bayesian statistics was used to test the social constructs as predictors of social QATs. We found that social anhedonic traits, prosopagnosic traits, and face matching performance were likely predictors of social QATs, whereas mentalizing showed limited contribution. The findings support prosopagnosic and anhedonic traits, but not mentalizing deficits, as dimensional predictors of individual differences in social function across the autistic spectrum. Further, the study strongly suggests that social reward systems and face processing networks play significant and independent roles in autistic-like social function.

Comparison of Iliac Bone Transplantation with Bone Transport in the Treatment of Femur Fracture and Bone Defect.

Objective To compare the curative effect of iliac bone transplantation with the bone transport in the treatment of femur fracture complicated with a bone defect. Methods Patients with femur fractures and defects who were admitted to our hospital from January 1, 2020, to January 31, 2022, and met the inclusion criteria were retrospectively selected and allocated into an iliac bone transplantation group or a bone transport group. The treatment effect and quality of life of the two groups were compared. Results A total of 98 patients who met the inclusion standards were enrolled, including 50 cases in the iliac bone transplantation group and 48 cases in the bone transport group. There were no significant differences in IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, visual analog scale (VAS) score, or Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score between the two groups on postsurgical day 1 (p=0.051, 0.150, 0.102, 0.564, and 0.826 respectively), but there were significant differences in the above index on postsurgical day 7 (all p < 0.01). There were no significant differences in social function, physical function, role function, and cognitive function between the two groups one week after the operation (p=0.245, 0.051, 0.102, and 0.067, respectively), but there were significant differences in the above parameters at one month after operation (p=0.001, 0.005, 0.005, and 0.001, respectively). The total effective rate of the bone transplantation group was significantly better than that of the iliac bone transplantation group (p=0.026). The number of postoperative complications in the bone removal group was significantly fewer than that of the iliac bone graft group (p=0.001). Conclusion Bone transport is effective in treating femur fractures complicated with bone defects, with fewer postoperative complications.

Differences in functioning between young adults with cancer and older age groups: A cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to explore whether young adults with cancer have different functioning compared to older age groups with cancer. This study is a cross-sectional study including 654 adults (≥18 years) with cancer. Exposure was age groups categorised as (1) young adults (n = 121) = 18-39 years; (2) middle-aged adults (n = 406) = 40-64 years; and (3) older people (n = 127) = ≥65 years. Outcomes were physical, role, social and cognitive functioning. Analyses consisted of linear regression models. Middle-aged adults had a statistically significant worse physical functioning compared to young adults (-3.90: [95% CI: -6.84; -0.95]). The older age group also had a statistically significant worse physical functioning compared to young adults (-7.63: [95% CI: -11.29; -3.96]). Young adults had statistically significant lower role functioning (-7.11: [95% CI: -1.13; -13.08]) and cognitive functioning (-13.82: [95% CI: -7.35; -20.29]) compared to the older age group. There was no statistically significant difference in social functioning between the age groups. Young adults with cancer seem to have other functioning problems compared with higher age groups. These findings support current research regarding the need to develop age-specific and appropriate rehabilitation services for young adults with cancer.

Translation and Diplomacy: The Ins and Outs of Social-Systemic Boundaries

ABSTRACT Boundaries of social systems stratify into internal and external layers with respective social agencies. Diplomacy is an internal – endohomorous – phenomenon that cannot reach the other side of the boundary without an external – ectohomorous – phenomenon such as translation. Translation is the outmost contact point where the system meets the environment – another system. Ectohomorous phenomena can fulfil their social-systemic function without endohomorous, but not the other way round. Diplomats can deal with systems in the environment only indirectly via translation, which specialises in direct contacting the system’s other. Distinguishing between endohomorous and ectohomorous phenomena helps to appreciate the difference in social functioning of diplomacy and translation.

Gender Differences in Psychiatric Symptoms and the Social Functioning of 610 Patients with Schizophrenia in Urban China: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study.

PurposeTo explore the different outcomes between male and female patients with schizophrenia after long-term follow-up.Patients and MethodsSchizophrenia patients were participants in our study. First, two senior psychiatrists collected data on the demographic characteristics and clinical symptoms of patients from the Hospital Information System between February 2009 and January 2010. Second, two other senior psychiatrists called the patients and their guardians between February 2019 and January 2020 to get general information on the patients and assess their psychiatric symptoms and social functioning using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Personal and Social Performance (PSP) scale.ResultsOf the 610 participants, the 306 female participants were younger (48.32 ± 12.99 vs 49.84 ± 12.60) and had received more education (8.08 ± 3.76 vs 7.94 ±3 0.73). After 10 years, women were found to have more outpatient visits than men (20.86 ± 22.21 vs 16.11 ± 16.87, P < 0.05). However, there was no significant gender difference in number of hospitalizations (3.12 ± 5.34 vs 2.77 ± 5.84, P > 0.05). The PANSS scores were lower for both groups at the 10-year follow-up. Women had significantly lower scores than men after the 10-year period (P < 0.05). With regard to social functioning, there was a significant difference in social functioning between baseline scores and 10-year follow-up scores indicating an improvement in social functioning. PSP scores had significantly increased in women (P < 0.01) but not in men (P > 0.05).ConclusionFemale patients had significantly lower levels of psychiatric symptoms and higher levels of social functioning at 10-year follow-up than male patients. They also reported more outpatient visits, which may have contributed to the gender differences in outcomes. Family members and doctors of patients should urge patients to make regular outpatient visits for better outcomes after hospitalization.

POJEDINA OBILJEŽJA KVALITETE ŽIVOTA OSOBA S DUŠEVNIM SMETNJAMA – PERSPEKTIVA KORISNIKA USLUGE CASE MANAGEMENTA I OSOBA SMJEŠTENIH U DOM ZA ODRASLE

SOME ASPECTS OF QUALITY OF LIFE OF PEOPLE WITH MENTAL DISABILITIES – PERSPECTIVE OF CASE MANAGEMENT USERS AND PEOPLE IN MENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES ABSTRACT This paper presents two perspectives of people with mental disabilities on their perception of quality of life. Main aim of this paper was to develop a deeper knowledge about certain aspects of quality of life of people with mental health disabilities from the perspective of case management users and people in mental health facilities in the geographical area of Zagreb. Aspects of quality of life that we were interested in were: general health (physical and mental), social and environmental aspects (focusing on social transfers mostly). For this purpose, qualitative research approach was selected and data was collected through semi-structured interviews on the total sample of 8 users. Participants of this study were persons in direct contact with mental health facility »Dom za odrasle – Zagreb«. The mentioned mental health facility is providing case management program for their users, and therefore we had four participants from a case management group and four participants that were accommodated in the mental health facility. The results showed significant differences in social functioning, perception of mental health, as well as in environmental domain on behalf of case management users. Physical health is perceived better in mental health facilities. Key words: quality of life; people with mental disabilities; case management; metal health facilities; social work

Evidence of discontinuity between psychosis-risk and non-clinical samples in the neuroanatomical correlates of social function

ObjectiveSocial dysfunction is a major feature of clinical-high-risk states for psychosis (CHR-P). Prior research has identified a neuroanatomical pattern associated with impaired social function outcome in CHR-P. The aim of the current study was to test whether social dysfunction in CHR-P is neurobiologically distinct or in a continuum with the lower end of the normal distribution of individual differences in social functioning. MethodsWe used a machine learning classifier to test for the presence of a previously validated brain structural pattern associated with impaired social outcome in CHR-P (CHR-outcome-neurosignature) in the neuroimaging profiles of individuals from two non-clinical samples (total n = 1763) and examined its association with social function, psychopathology and cognition. ResultsAlthough the CHR-outcome-neurosignature could be detected in a subset of the non-clinical samples, it was not associated was adverse social outcomes or higher psychopathology levels. However, participants whose neuroanatomical profiles were highly aligned with the CHR-outcome-neurosignature manifested subtle disadvantage in fluid (PFDR = 0.004) and crystallized intelligence (PFDR = 0.01), cognitive flexibility (PFDR = 0.02), inhibitory control (PFDR = 0.01), working memory (PFDR = 0.0005), and processing speed (PFDR = 0.04). ConclusionsWe provide evidence of divergence in brain structural underpinnings of social dysfunction derived from a psychosis-risk enriched population when applied to non-clinical samples. This approach appears promising in identifying brain mechanisms bound to psychosis through comparisons of patient populations to non-clinical samples with the same neuroanatomical profiles.

Relationships between social withdrawal and facial emotion recognition in neuropsychiatric disorders

BackgroundEmotion recognition constitutes a pivotal process of social cognition. It involves decoding social cues (e.g., facial expressions) to maximise social adjustment. Current theoretical models posit the relationship between social withdrawal factors (social disengagement, lack of social interactions and loneliness) and emotion decoding. ObjectiveTo investigate the role of social withdrawal in patients with schizophrenia (SZ) or probable Alzheimer's disease (AD), neuropsychiatric conditions associated with social dysfunction. MethodsA sample of 156 participants was recruited: schizophrenia patients (SZ; n = 53), Alzheimer's disease patients (AD; n = 46), and two age-matched control groups (SZc, n = 29; ADc, n = 28). All participants provided self-report measures of loneliness and social functioning, and completed a facial emotion detection task. ResultsNeuropsychiatric patients (both groups) showed poorer performance in detecting both positive and negative emotions compared with their healthy counterparts (p < .01). Social withdrawal was associated with higher accuracy in negative emotion detection, across all groups. Additionally, neuropsychiatric patients with higher social withdrawal showed lower positive emotion misclassification. ConclusionsOur findings help to detail the similarities and differences in social function and facial emotion recognition in two disorders rarely studied in parallel, AD and SZ. Transdiagnostic patterns in these results suggest that social withdrawal is associated with heightened sensitivity to negative emotion expressions, potentially reflecting hypervigilance to social threat. Across the neuropsychiatric groups specifically, this hypervigilance associated with social withdrawal extended to positive emotion expressions, an emotional-cognitive bias that may impact social functioning in people with severe mental illness.

Behavioral Intervention for Social Challenges in Children and Adolescents

Social deficits are a common and disabling feature of many pediatric disorders; however, whether behavioral interventions are associated with benefits for children and adolescents with social deficits is poorly understood. To assess whether behavioral interventions in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental or mental health disorders are associated with improvements in social function and social cognition, and whether patient, intervention, and methodological characteristics moderate the association. For this systematic review and meta-analysis, the PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and PubMed electronic databases were searched in December 2020 for randomized clinical trials published from database inception to December 1, 2020, including terms related to neurodevelopmental or mental health disorders, social behavior, randomized clinical trials, and children and adolescents. Data were analyzed in January 2021. Randomized clinical trials that enrolled participants aged 4 to 17 years with social deficits and examined the efficacy of a clinician-administered behavioral intervention targeting social functioning or social cognition were included. A total of 9314 records were identified, 78 full texts were assessed for eligibility, and 33 articles were included in the study; 31 of these reported social function outcomes and 12 reported social cognition outcomes. Articles were reviewed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment for randomized clinical trials. Data were independently extracted and pooled using a weighted random-effects model. The main outcome was the association of behavioral intervention with social function and social cognition. Hedges g was used to measure the standardized mean difference between intervention and control groups. Standardized effect sizes were calculated for the intervention group vs the comparison group for each trial. A total of 31 trials including 2131 participants (1711 [80%] male; 420 [20%] female; mean [SD] age, 10.8 [2.2] years) with neurodevelopmental or mental health disorders (autism spectrum disorder [ASD] [n = 23], attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [n = 4], other conditions associated with social deficits [n = 4]) were analyzed to examine differences in social function between the intervention and control groups. Significantly greater gains in social function were found among participants who received an intervention than among the control groups (Hedges g, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.40-0.83; P < .001). The type of control condition (wait list vs active control vs treatment as usual) was a significant moderator of effect size (Q2, 7.11; P = .03). Twelve studies including 487 individuals with ASD (48 [10%] female; 439 [90%] male; mean [SD] age, 10.4 [1.7] years) were analyzed to examine differences in social cognition between intervention and control groups. The overall mean weighted effect was significant (Hedges g, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.39-0.96; P < .001), indicating the treatment groups had better performance on social cognitive tasks. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, significantly greater gains in social function and social cognition were reported among children and adolescents who received behavioral interventions for social deficits compared with participants receiving the control conditions. These findings suggest that children and adolescents with social deficits might benefit from social skills training regardless of their specific neurodevelopmental or mental health diagnosis.

Ten-year follow-up of social functioning and behaviour problems in people with schizophrenia and related disorders.

In recent years, several variables in the course of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders have been studied. However, an instrumental analysis of the evolution of social functioning and behaviour problems has scarcely been explored. To analyse the evolution of social functioning and behaviour problems and find any diagnosis or gender differences. The Social Functioning Scale (SFS) and the Behaviour Problems Inventory (BPI) were administered in Stages I (2003-2007) and II (2014-2017) to 100 close relatives of patients under treatment at a Community Mental Health Unit. A related samples t-test, analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance were performed to study the evolution and differences in social functioning and behaviour problems. Then a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was done to predict the evolution of social functioning. No deterioration in the evolution of social functioning or behaviour problems was observed, and schizophrenia patient scores were lower. Women scored higher in withdrawal/social engagement, interpersonal behaviour, independence-performance, independence-competence and total social functioning, with no significant differences in behaviour problems. Previous social functioning, underactivity/social withdrawal and education are predictive factors in the evolution of social functioning. Conclusion: The results show the need for implementing psychosocial intervention programs that promote functional recovery and keep problems from becoming chronic.

Variation in latent social profiles of adolescent ADHD and related clinical features

Social impairment is a hallmark of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the extent of variation in adolescent social strengths and weaknesses is unclear. We compared teacher-reported characteristics of social functioning in adolescents with a history of ADHD (N = 340), and without ADHD (N = 182) from the NIMH Collaborative Multisite Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA) at 72-month follow-up (13 – 15.9 years-old). Latent profile analysis of teacher-reported cooperation, assertion and self-control on the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), was used to identify “social profiles”. Their associations with clinical features were explored. Significant differences in social functioning were identified between adolescents with a history of ADHD, and without ADHD (ES = 0.54 – 0.77). Four distinct social profiles were identified in adolescents with a history of ADHD: unskilled (N = 24, 7%), low average (N = 144, 42%), average (N = 141, 41%), and skilled (N = 31, 9%). Profiles with worse social functioning (low average, unskilled) displayed more symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, oppositionality, depression, global impairment, and were less liked, more rejected and ignored by peers than average and skilled. Social profile membership was not associated with sex, anxiety symptoms, or remittance / persistence of ADHD. Social functioning in adolescents with a history of ADHD is variable, and associated with worse symptomology, global functioning, and peer relationships, irrespective of persistence or remittance of ADHD. Group level summaries of social difficulties in ADHD may be inadequate given nearly half of adolescents with a history of ADHD presented with average or skilled social profiles.

Combined Oxytocin and Cognitive Behavioral Social Skills Training for Social Function in People With Schizophrenia

A significant proportion of people with schizophrenia are characterized by impaired ability to socially engage with others. The development of effective interventions for social functioning remains a central therapeutic challenge. Cognitive-behavioral social skills training (CBSST) has been found to improve social functioning in schizophrenia, but with only medium effect sizes. Intranasal oxytocin also has prosocial effects, but also only with modest effect sizes. This study assessed whether the addition of intranasal oxytocin to CBSST can strengthen their impact on social function. Participants (N = 62) with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder entered a 24-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial with a 3-month follow-up evaluation at 2 sites: Maryland and San Diego. Participants were randomized to either intranasal oxytocin 36 IU (3 sprays) twice a day (n = 31) or intranasal placebo-oxytocin (3 sprays) twice a day (n = 31). All participants received CBSST plus a social cognition skills training module (48 total sessions). There were no significant treatment group differences in social functioning, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, defeatist beliefs, or asocial beliefs. The interpretation of treatment effects was complicated by site effects, whereby participants in San Diego began the trial with greater severity of impairments and subsequently showed greater improvements compared with participants in Maryland. The results did not support the utility of add-on intranasal oxytocin to psychosocial rehabilitation interventions like CBSST for improvement in social function (ClinicalTrials.gov trial number: NCT01752712).

Assessment of medical morbidities in a rhesus monkey model of naturally occurring low sociality.

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit a variety of medical morbidities at significantly higher rates than the general population. Using an established monkey model of naturally occurring low sociality, we investigated whether low-social monkeys show an increased burden of medical morbidities compared to their high-social counterparts. We systematically reviewed the medical records of N = 152 (n = 73 low-social; n = 79 high-social) rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) to assess the number of traumatic injury, gastrointestinal, and inflammatory events, as well as the presence of rare medical conditions. Subjects' nonsocial scores, determined by the frequency they were observed in a nonsocial state (i.e., alone), and macaque Social Responsiveness Scale-Revised (mSRS-R) scores were also used to test whether individual differences in social functioning were related to medical morbidity burden. Medical morbidity type significantly differed by group, such that low-social monkeys incurred higher rates of traumatic injury compared to high-social monkeys. Nonsocial scores and mSRS-R scores also significantly and positively predicted traumatic injury rates, indicating that monkeys with the greatest social impairment were most impacted on this health measure. These findings from low-social monkeys are consistent with well-documented evidence that people with ASD incur a greater number of traumatic injuries and receive more peer bullying than their neurotypical peers, and add to growing evidence for the face validity of this primate model. LAY SUMMARY: People with autism exhibit multiple medical problems at higher rates than the general population. We conducted a comprehensive medical record review of monkeys that naturally exhibit differences in sociality and found that low-social monkeys are more susceptible to traumatic injuries than high-social monkeys. These results are consistent with reports that people with autism also incur greater traumatic injury and peer bullying and add to growing evidence for the validity of this monkey model.