Social Connectedness in Schizotypy: The Role of Cognitive and Affective Empathy

Social connectedness is increasingly understood to be a resilience factor that moderates vulnerability to poor physical and mental health. This study examines cognitive and affective processes that support normal socialization and social connectedness, and the impact of schizotypy, in well-functioning college students. In this study, a total of 824 college students completed a series of self-report questionnaires, and structural equation modeling was then employed to identify relationships between cognitive and affective empathy, alexithymia, distress tolerance, social connectedness, and schizotypy. Schizotypy is a trait-like condition, presumed to be genetic in origin, associated with the risk for schizophrenia. Like schizophrenia, schizotypy is thought to have three distinct dimensions or categories, termed positive, negative, and disorganized. Results indicate that the respective dimensions of schizotypy have different pathways to social connectedness, through both direct and indirect effects. Positive schizotypy exerts a counterintuitive positive influence on social connectedness, mediated by positive effects on cognitive empathy, but this is obscured by the high correlations between the schizotypal dimensions and the strong negative influences on empathy and social connectedness of the negative and disorganized dimensions, unless all those intercorrelations are taken into account. Overall, the pathways identified by structural equation modeling strongly support the role of empathy in mediating the impact of schizotypy on social connectedness. Implications for the etiology of social impairments in schizotypy, and for interventions to enhance social connectedness to improve quality of life and reduce health disparities in people at risk for severe mental illness, are discussed

Review of The Two Psychiatries: The Transformation of Psychiatric Work in Saskatchewan, 1905-1984

The Great Plains region has a history of producing innovations in mental health. This book, an historical account and sociological analysis of the evolution of the Saskatchewan public mental health system, describes one Great Plains phenomenon that at times during this century has been remarkably progressive. The book began as the author\u27s dissertation in the sociology of health care and was made possible by his fortuitous access to confidential government archives, primarily in the form of interoffice correspondence, in addition to the public historical record. Dickenson evaluates several hypotheses generated by sociologies of labor and professions. The brief and succinct appendix offers a focused and systematic comparison of classical, Marxist, and more recent hypotheses about labor processes, and the reader unfamiliar with the sociology of work is advised to read it first. Most of the book is historical account and anecdote, interspersed with commentary on implications for one or another point in this evaluation

Social Connectedness in Schizotypy: The Role of Cognitive and Affective Empathy

Social connectedness is increasingly understood to be a resilience factor that moderates vulnerability to poor physical and mental health. This study examines cognitive and affective processes that support normal socialization and social connectedness, and the impact of schizotypy, in well-functioning college students. In this study, a total of 824 college students completed a series of self-report questionnaires, and structural equation modeling was then employed to identify relationships between cognitive and affective empathy, alexithymia, distress tolerance, social connectedness, and schizotypy. Schizotypy is a trait-like condition, presumed to be genetic in origin, associated with the risk for schizophrenia. Like schizophrenia, schizotypy is thought to have three distinct dimensions or categories, termed positive, negative, and disorganized. Results indicate that the respective dimensions of schizotypy have different pathways to social connectedness, through both direct and indirect effects. Positive schizotypy exerts a counterintuitive positive influence on social connectedness, mediated by positive effects on cognitive empathy, but this is obscured by the high correlations between the schizotypal dimensions and the strong negative influences on empathy and social connectedness of the negative and disorganized dimensions, unless all those intercorrelations are taken into account. Overall, the pathways identified by structural equation modeling strongly support the role of empathy in mediating the impact of schizotypy on social connectedness. Implications for the etiology of social impairments in schizotypy, and for interventions to enhance social connectedness to improve quality of life and reduce health disparities in people at risk for severe mental illness, are discussed

1Best Practice Guidelines for COGNITIVE REHABILITATION FOR PEOPLE WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS

Nebraska-Lincoln. The focus of her research and clinical work is in the area of the rehabilitation of the severely and persistently mentally ill. She has participated in research on the innovative cognitive rehabilitation technique of shaping procedures integrated with modular skills training to increase attention spans and has co-authored a book chapter entitiled "Cognitive-Behavioural Therapies in Psychiatric Rehabilitation". Jason Peer, M.A. is a graduate student in clinical psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His research and clinical interests are in the area of the rehabilitation of persons with severe and persistent mental illness. Specific research interests include investigating how neurocognitive and social cognitive variables impact response to rehabilitation interventions and how these variables may interact with clinical variables in this population. Will Spaulding, Ph.D. is professor of psychology, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, and a consulting psychologist with the Community Transition Program, Lincoln Regional Center. His interests include the clinical and experimental psychopathology of severe and disabling mental illness, psychiatric rehabilitation, cognitive and neurocognitive assessment and treatment, mental health policy and service provision for severe mental illness. 2Theoretical Rationale for Cognitive Rehabilitation There is little doubt that neurocognitive recovery occurs in people with severe mental illness. At least since the 1970's specific interventions, ranging from practice on laboratory tasks to comprehensive rehabilitation approaches, have shown that specific aspects of performance can improve (Corrigan & Storzbach, 1993; Spaulding, Storms