Is social functioning related to the experience of self agency in schizophrenia patients?

Abstract

Social dysfunction is a core feature in schizophrenia. Research has shown that social cognitive functions act as a direct predictor, mediator, or moderator of social functioning. In this study the experiences of self-agency in schizophrenia were associated to social functioning. A total of 12 patients performed the wheel of fortune task and were asked to fill in the Social Functioning Scale. None of the SFS subscales were positive predictors for the experience of self-agency. The sample size was small and the data did not meet the assumptions for a regression. The data was not normally distributed, so the results cannot be generalized to general population. More experimental research is necessary to examine whether self-agency is related to social functioning in schizophrenia in general. When social functioning is influenced by the abnormal experience of self-agency, this might have implications for future treatment possibilities.