Social functioning and formal thought disorder in schizophrenia: A Bayesian meta-analysis.
Clara Benedetta Caterina Soldovieri, Dalia Elleuch, Jessica Ahrens et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This systematic review and Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis examined associations between positive and negative formal thought disorder (FTD) and social functioning in people with schizophrenia. Across 24 studies (N = 4072), positive FTD was associated with poorer social functioning (r = -0.31, 95% CrI: -0.40 to -0.20). Across 7 studies (N = 1226), negative FTD also showed a negative association, but the estimate was smaller and less precise (r = -0.21, 95% CrI: -0.38 to 0.000). Evidence was stronger for positive FTD, while substantial heterogeneity remained unexplained.
Key findings
- Positive FTD was associated with poorer social functioning: r = -0.31, 95% CrI: -0.40 to -0.20.
- Negative FTD showed a smaller association with poorer social functioning: r = -0.21, 95% CrI: -0.38 to 0.000.
- Heterogeneity was high (I 2 > 76%) and was not explained by the moderators examined.
- The apparent stronger association for positive FTD was not robust, given the paucity of negative FTD studies.
Why it matters
The findings support considering positive and negative FTD separately when assessing social functioning in schizophrenia. Positive FTD had stronger evidence of an association, and the authors suggest that communication difficulties may be one pathway linking it to impaired functioning. However, variation across study settings and limited evidence for negative FTD mean the relative importance of the two dimensions remains uncertain.
What to keep in mind
The negative FTD analysis included only 7 studies, and high heterogeneity (I 2 > 76%) remained unexplained by known moderators.