Introduction: The term “social cognition” increased attention especially during the past 15–20 years, being considered a factor that could partly explain the deterioration of social functioning in persons suffering of psychosis. Social functioning represents one of the important domains for estimation the long-term evolution of schizophrenic spectrum disorders. The most important areas of social cognition are: emotion processing, theory of mind, social perception, social knowledge (social schema), and attributional style.
Material and method: In the present study we selected 63 subjects, hospitalized in Psychiatric Clinic of Timișoara between 1985–2005. They were divided into 3 samples of diagnosis according to ICD-10 criteria: A – subjects with schizophrenia, B – subjects with persistent delusional disorder and C – subjects diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Socio-demographic features were analyzed and the scales applied were BPRS (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale) and SCRSP (Social Cognition Rating Scale for Psychosis).
Results: The study revealed deficit of social cognition in the 3 samples, with no significant statistical differences. Socio-demographic aspects are similar with other clinical studies.
Conclusions: deficit of social cognition is revealed both in persistent delusional disorder and in schizoaffective disorder, the highest deficit is detected in schizophrenia.