TY - JOUR
T1 - Social Functioning Interventions in Psychosis: A Systematic Review
AU - Vinu, Meera
AU - Georgiades, Anna
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s). Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2025/5/16
Y1 - 2025/5/16
N2 - Objective: A decline in social functioning is a hallmark of psychosis and is evident across the psychosis continuum. However, no study to date has summarised the existing evidence base regarding social functioning interventions in psychosis, nor have they synthesised the factors associated with high or low social functioning in psychosis. Method: A systematic review was conducted to summarise the extant literature regarding social functioning interventions in psychosis. Results: Sixty-five studies were eligible for inclusion. Physical exercise, art therapy, social recovery therapy, social skills training, virtual reality, online programmes and psychosocial interventions improved social functioning and reduced both positive and negative symptoms of psychosis. Factors associated with low social functioning in psychosis included self-perception (self-esteem, self-efficacy, internalised stigma), symptoms (social anxiety, depression, positive and negative symptoms), emotion (reduced emotional awareness/regulation, emotional suppression, negative affect), cognition (appraisals, negative self-beliefs, dependency and enmeshment schema, negative self-statements, defeatist performance beliefs, metacognitive beliefs), social cognition (ToM, neurocognition) and behaviours (motivation, social relatedness, avoidance). Factors associated with high social functioning in psychosis included emotional awareness, acceptance of emotions, positive affect, cognitive reappraisal, positive performance beliefs and adaptive coping. Conclusions: A number of factors were associated with high or low social functioning in psychosis, which highlights important clinical intervention targets for devising novel social functioning interventions. The cognitive model of social functioning in psychosis could facilitate the development of personalised and idiosyncratic formulations and targeted interventions in CBTp to enhance social functioning in psychosis.
AB - Objective: A decline in social functioning is a hallmark of psychosis and is evident across the psychosis continuum. However, no study to date has summarised the existing evidence base regarding social functioning interventions in psychosis, nor have they synthesised the factors associated with high or low social functioning in psychosis. Method: A systematic review was conducted to summarise the extant literature regarding social functioning interventions in psychosis. Results: Sixty-five studies were eligible for inclusion. Physical exercise, art therapy, social recovery therapy, social skills training, virtual reality, online programmes and psychosocial interventions improved social functioning and reduced both positive and negative symptoms of psychosis. Factors associated with low social functioning in psychosis included self-perception (self-esteem, self-efficacy, internalised stigma), symptoms (social anxiety, depression, positive and negative symptoms), emotion (reduced emotional awareness/regulation, emotional suppression, negative affect), cognition (appraisals, negative self-beliefs, dependency and enmeshment schema, negative self-statements, defeatist performance beliefs, metacognitive beliefs), social cognition (ToM, neurocognition) and behaviours (motivation, social relatedness, avoidance). Factors associated with high social functioning in psychosis included emotional awareness, acceptance of emotions, positive affect, cognitive reappraisal, positive performance beliefs and adaptive coping. Conclusions: A number of factors were associated with high or low social functioning in psychosis, which highlights important clinical intervention targets for devising novel social functioning interventions. The cognitive model of social functioning in psychosis could facilitate the development of personalised and idiosyncratic formulations and targeted interventions in CBTp to enhance social functioning in psychosis.
KW - Social Functioning, Interventions, Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Cognitive Model
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105006907746&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/cpp.70090
DO - 10.1002/cpp.70090
M3 - Review article
SN - 1063-3995
VL - 32
JO - Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
JF - Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
IS - 3
M1 - e70090
ER -