Academic Journal
Social networks and symptomatology in recently hospitalized individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: A six-month longitudinal study.
| Τίτλος: | Social networks and symptomatology in recently hospitalized individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: A six-month longitudinal study. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Schock GV; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Electronic address: gabriella.schock@vumc.org., Kittleson AR; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center., Halverson AS; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center., Liu J; Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center., Sheffield JM; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. |
| Πηγή: | Psychiatry research [Psychiatry Res] 2026 Apr; Vol. 358, pp. 116960. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jan 19. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press Country of Publication: Ireland NLM ID: 7911385 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1872-7123 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01651781 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Psychiatry Res Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Limerick : Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press Original Publication: Amsterdam, Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Schizophrenia*/physiopathology , Schizophrenia*/therapy , Psychotic Disorders*/psychology , Paranoid Disorders*/psychology , Paranoid Disorders*/physiopathology , Social Networking* , Schizophrenic Psychology*, Humans ; Female ; Male ; Longitudinal Studies ; Adult ; Hospitalization ; Middle Aged ; Severity of Illness Index ; Family Support |
| Περίληψη: | Individuals with psychosis have reduced social networks; however, little is known about whether social networks change over time, particularly after an acute episode requiring hospitalization. Furthermore, longitudinal associations between social network engagement, symptom severity, and the impact of illness duration remains unclear. Using linear mixed models controlling for age and sex, we analyzed self-reported social network engagement, positive and negative symptom severity, and self-reported paranoia in individuals with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (SSD; N = 68) during six months following psychiatric hospitalization and compared them with non-clinical participants (NC; N = 70). SSD participants reported significantly lower social network scores than NC participants at every time point (b = -5.77), and significantly greater disruption in friendship than family ties (b = - 2.00). Social networks remained stable over time in both groups (b = -0.01), regardless of illness stage in the SSD group (b = 8.08). Notably, lower social engagement with family at baseline predicted greater increases in paranoia over time (b = -1.01). Conversely, more severe paranoia at baseline predicted greater reductions in friend networks over time (b = -0.03). Finally, social network related to negative symptom severity at baseline (b = -0.42) and longitudinally (b = -0.18). These findings suggest that clinical severity may influence the social network disruptions commonly found in psychotic disorders, especially during vulnerable periods of recovery following a psychotic exacerbation. Ultimately, this highlights the need for tailored post-discharge interventions that address social network deficits, particularly within families and in the context of severe paranoia. (Copyright © 2026. Published by Elsevier B.V.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Grant Information: | K23 MH126313 United States MH NIMH NIH HHS; R01 MH137024 United States MH NIMH NIH HHS |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Hospitalization; Paranoia; Psychosis; Social networks |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260123 Date Completed: 20260701 Latest Revision: 20260726 |
| Update Code: | 20260726 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.116960 |
| PMID: | 41576489 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1872-7123 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.116960 |