Theory of mind performances in first-episode schizophrenia patients: An 18-month follow-up study

Abstract

This study examined the change of Theory of Mind (ToM) performances in patients with first-episode schizophrenia over an 18-month period since illness onset. A computerised behavioural task was utilised to assess the affective and cognitive facets of visual-based ToM. Patients’ ToM performances were standardised using the norms of gender-stratified, age- and IQ-matched controls. The results showed that schizophrenia patients exhibited poorer second-order affective and cognitive ToM at baseline, but their ToM ability improved after 18 months of follow-up. Our findings do not support a longitudinal dissociation of affective from cognitive ToM in schizophrenia.