Sydney Given

Major: Forensic Biology and Biology
Purdue School of Science
Supervisor: Megan Gaunnac
Department: Psychiatry, IU School of Medicine

Correlation between Increased Social Functioning and Metacognitive Therapy in Individuals with Early Phase Psychosis

Social functioning is an important aspect of everyday life and impacts how individuals interact with the world around them. Individuals with early phase psychosis often have impairments in social functioning and, if not addressed, can lead to their functioning inappropriately in their environment. This impairment makes it more difficult to keep a steady job, connect with others, and perform daily tasks. Through research performed by the IUPDP, subjects completed the Social Functioning Scale at both the beginning and end of the study. The Social Functioning Scale contains seven sections including social engagement (e.g., how much time do you spend alone?), interpersonal communication (e.g., how many friends do you have?), activities of daily living (e.g., how often do you prepare and cook a meal?), recreation (e.g., how often do you play a sport?), social activities (e.g., how often do you visit friends?), competence at independent living (e.g., how able are you to handle your own money?), and occupation/employment. Using the data from this study, a relationship can be established between increased time in metacognitive therapy and increased social functioning for individuals with early phase psychosis.