دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی باورهای فراشناختی به عنوان پیش بینی روانشناختی عملکرد اجتماعی: تحقیق بر روی مردم روان پریش - الزویر 2018

ABSTRACT

Poor social functioning has been found to be present in those at risk for psychosis. This study aimed to examine metacognitive beliefs as potential predictors of structured activity (measure of social functioning) in those with an At Risk Mental State (ARMS). Regression and correlation analyses were conducted. The sample included 109 young people. Age was found to be positively correlated to structured activity. Metacognitive beliefs concerning uncontrollability and danger of worry were found to negatively predict structured activity. This was after controlling for age, gender, treatment allocation, cognitive schemas, positive symptom severity, social anxiety, and depression. Metacognitive danger items were most important. Age was the only control variable found to be an independent predictor of structured activity in the regression model, despite negative bi-variate relationships with structured activity found across three cognitive schema subscales and social anxiety. This is the first study to find that higher negative metacognitive beliefs about uncontrollability and danger predict lower social functioning in an ARMS sample, and that the perception of thoughts being dangerous was of particular importance. Psychological interventions should consider targeting this metacognitive dimension to increase social functioning. Future longitudinal research is required to strengthen findings in this area.

4. Discussion

Examination of the psychological predictors of structured activity could provide a useful step forward in understanding variation in structured activity and provide a means of linking it meaningfully with risk. In this study we examined the role of metacognitive beliefs, whilst controlling for other factors that could also contribute to social functioning outcome.

Consistent with our predictions, metacognitive belief was found to be a negative correlate of structured activity. A single metacognitive belief subscale, negative beliefs about uncontrollability of thoughts and danger, predicted structured activity over and above control variables. The findings show that the higher the score on this subscale, the lower the social functioning. This was the case after controlling for age, gender,treatment allocation,positive symptom severity, social anxiety, depression and cognitive schemas. Due to the lack of past research exploring the effects of metacognitive beliefs on social functioning, we were unsure which subscales would be predictors in the regression model. These results give us a better idea of specifically which metacognitive beliefs may need to be targeted and examined further.

Although three of the four cognitive schemas correlated with social functioning, when added to the regression model none of the cognitive schema subscales predicted social functioning. Social anxiety was the only symptom to correlate with structured activity. None of the symptoms included in the regression model were found to predict structured activity.