Ricardo A. Saracco-Álvarez, Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñíz, Ciudad de México, México
Ana Fresán-Orellana, Subdirección de Investigaciones Clínicas, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñíz, Ciudad de México, México
Rebeca Robles-García, Centro de Investigación en Salud Mental Global INPRFM-UNAM (CISMG), Dirección de Investigaciones Epidemiológicas y Psicosociales, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñíz, Ciudad de México, México
Carlos A. Tovilla-Zárate, División Académica Multidisciplinaria de Comalcalco, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Centro, Tabasco, México
Raúl I. Escamilla-Orozco, Subdirección de Consulta Externa, Servicios Clínicos, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñíz, Ciudad de México, México
Background: Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder associated with marked deficits in global functioning and life skills, including domains of social cognition, particularly theory of mind, which refers to the ability to attribute and infer the intentions, dispositions, and beliefs of others. Objective: To determine whether demographic, clinical, and theory of mind variables mediate the effect of education on functioning in patients with schizophrenia. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted with 62 patients with schizophrenia. Measures of symptom severity, functionality, and theory of mind were collected. Correlational analyses were performed to identify variables to be included in a mediation analysis examining the relationship between education and functionality. Analyses were conducted using the SPSS PROCESS macro. Results: The 62 participants were clinically stable and all presented with impaired theory of mind performance, but showed acceptable levels of overall functioning. Among the variables analyzed, only the theory of mind score showed a significant association with functionality and was therefore included in the mediation analysis. Conclusions: Theory of mind was found to mediate the relationship between education and functionality. Performance on theory of mind tasks may serve as a predictor of social behavioral deficits in individuals with schizophrenia.
Keywords: Social cognition. Theory of mind. Education. Functioning. Schizophrenia.
