Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38960910›Full record

ArticleEuropean archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience2025

Mentalizing impairments and hypermentalizing bias in individuals with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and at-risk mental state: the differential roles of neurocognition and social anxiety.

Harry Kam Hung Tsui, Yingqi Liao, Janet Hsiao, Yi Nam Suen, Eric Wai Ching Yan, Lap-Tak Poon, Man Wah Siu, Christy Lai Ming Hui, Wing Chung Chang, Edwin Ho Ming Lee and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Harry Kam Hung TsuiDepartment of Psychiatry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR.
Yingqi LiaoDepartment of Psychiatry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR.
Janet HsiaoDivision of Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Yi Nam SuenDepartment of Psychiatry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR.
Eric Wai Ching YanKowloon Hospital, Mong Kok, Hong Kong SAR.
Lap-Tak PoonDepartment of Psychiatry, United Christian Hospital, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong SAR.
Man Wah SiuDepartment of Psychiatry, Kwai Chung Hospital, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong SAR.
Christy Lai Ming HuiDepartment of Psychiatry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR.
Wing Chung ChangDepartment of Psychiatry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR.
Edwin Ho Ming LeeDepartment of Psychiatry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR.
Eric Yu Hai ChenDepartment of Psychiatry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR.
Sherry Kit Wa ChanDepartment of Psychiatry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR. kwsherry@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2712-5826

Funding

University Grants Committee 17112615University Research Committee, University of Hong Kong 200911159018
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mentalizing, or theory of mind (ToM), impairments and self-referential hypermentalizing bias are well-evident in schizophrenia. However, findings compared to individuals with at-risk mental states (ARMS) are inconsistent, and investigations into the relationship between social cognitive impairments and social anxiety in the two populations are scarce. This study aimed to examine and compare these deficits in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (FES) and ARMS, and to explore potential specific associations with neurocognition and symptomatology. Forty patients with FES, 40 individuals with ARMS, and 40 healthy controls (HC) completed clinical assessments, a battery of neurocognitive tasks, and three social cognitive tasks. The comic strip and hinting tasks were used to measure non-verbal and verbal mentalizing abilities, and the gaze perception task was employed to assess self-referential hypermentalizing bias. FES and ARMS showed comparable mentalizing impairments and self-referential hypermentalizing bias compared to HC. However, only ambiguous self-referential gaze perception (SRGP) bias remained significantly different between three groups after controlling for covariates. Findings suggested that self-referential hypermentalizing bias could be a specific deficit and may be considered a potential behavioral indicator in early-stage and prodromal psychosis. Moreover, working memory and social anxiety were related to the social cognitive impairments in ARMS, whereas higher-order executive functions and positive symptoms were associated with the impairments in FES. The current study indicates the presence of stage-specific mechanisms of mentalizing impairments and self-referential hypermentalizing bias, providing insights into the importance of personalized interventions to improve specific neurocognitive domains, social cognition, and clinical outcomes for FES and ARMS.

Indexed as

AnxietyCognitive DysfunctionMentalizationPsychotic DisordersSchizophreniaSocial CognitionSocial PerceptionTheory of MindAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansMaleYoung AdultAt-risk mental statesFirst-episode schizophreniaNeurocognitionSocial anxietySocial cognitionTheory of mind

Identifiers

PMID38960910
PMCPMC11947045

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.