In this study, we conducted a latent profile analysis to obtain profiles of social cognition and metacognition in FEP according to gender. We identified three profiles in each gender. We found 2 profiles (Homogeneous and Indecisive) that were present in males and females, while we found 2 profiles (JTC and Cognitive Biases) that were specific to each sex.
Males in the homogeneous profile seemed to have a more benign course of illness than their counterparts, specifically than males in the JTC profile. Conversely, females in the homogeneous profile were older, had fewer depressive symptoms and more self-esteem than females in the Cognitive Bias profile.
These findings may have relevant clinical consequences, as our results suggest that having homogeneous levels of social cognition and metacognition could be indicative of a more benign course of illness, although this explanation should be clarified in future research.
We found a second profile common to both genders (Indecisive), characterized by average scores in most variables except for draws to decision, which were a standard deviation higher than the mean. Females in this profile only presented significantly better self-esteem than the other profiles. Males in this profile had more positive symptoms than males in the homogeneous profile but scored significantly better in attention than males in the JTC profile. This profile grouped the least proportion of participants both in males (18.3%) and females (8.6%) and seems to have a clinical state similar to the homogeneous profile. However, the importance of its traits cannot be neglected. Although to our knowledge the role of an excessive number of DTDs in the beads task has not been studied, one interpretation could be excessive metacognitive monitoring. Participants could be constantly evaluating whether they have enough information to make a decision, which could inhibit decision making [24]. The particularities of this profile indicate that subjects with this profile could benefit from a different therapeutic approach.
Males in the JTC profile had worse neuropsychological performance, more positive and disorganized symptoms, and worse clinical insight. These results are consistent with previous studies reporting the association between JTC and more positive symptoms [16] and worse neuropsychological deficits [15–17]. Some studies have suggested that JTC could likely be a consequence of pre-existing neuropsychological deficits [16, 18]. On the contrary, the association between clinical insight seems to be independent of neurocognitive abilities [27]. Notwithstanding, the three constructs have been associated with poorer outcomes [12, 14, 20], indicating that males in this profile could have a more troubled course of the disease and worse functioning.
Females in the Cognitive Bias profile had more personalizing bias and self-reflectivity, but less self-esteem than their counterparts. Further, we found a trend for significance in depression measured with BDI. Females in the Cognitive Bias profile scored higher in depression than the other two profiles. This presentation seems consistent with the insight paradox [25], a phenomenon in which more self-reflectivity is positively associated with depression and self-esteem [31].
Depression, self-esteem, and personalizing bias have been found not only to be closely associated with persecutory ideation and paranoia [28, 29, 50] but also with the severity of paranoia in subjects with FEP [30]. Females in this profile have more self-reflectivity, indicating that they have a better ability to reflect upon their processes. This ability may lead to a better awareness of their symptoms and difficulties, which could decrease self-esteem and increase depression. Ultimately, to preserve their self-esteem, females in this profile could blame other persons for negative events, which could, in turn, increase paranoid symptoms and perpetuate symptoms. This explanation, however, remains speculative as this study did not explore causality.
Our work must be interpreted considering several limitations.
First, our sample was not balanced in gender, which can have hampered our statistical power. Likewise, the sample size of each profile varied greatly. Therefore, although we used non-parametric tests to determine mean differences, some significant differences may not have been detected. Similarly, we did not conduct post-hoc analysis, as the comparisons presented in this work are qualitative comparisons based on the graphical representation of the clusters. We did not have a control group. Therefore, whether these profiles appear in the general population, the extent of the impairment and cut-off scores could not be calculated. We used a cross-sectional design that did not allow testing profile stability. These limitations notwithstanding, this is the first work yielding evidence of sex profiles in social cognition and metacognition. Future research confirming our profile solution, profile membership predictors, and illness course according to profile and gender are recommended, as well as understanding therapeutic components of interventions that are more adequate to specific genders and profile presentations.
There are relevant clinical implications to our work. A first implication is that males that present JTC and females that present higher self-reflectivity in conjunction with personalizing bias may have a worse presentation of the disorder. Interestingly, the clinical symptoms related to the JTC profile in males seem to be more associated with psychotic symptoms, while females in the cognitive bias profile seem to have more affective symptomatology. This is of particular importance since JTC and cognitive biases are modifiable [68] and identification and early correction of these cognitive patterns at prodromal stages or first-episode could have a positive impact in the course of the disorder.
Patients with different profiles of social cognition and metacognition may respond differently to therapeutic approaches. A study assessing gender differences in response to metacognitive treatment in a sample with FEP [39] reported that females improved more in cognitive insight, personalizing bias and general symptoms than males. Conversely, males improved more in the salient condition of the Beads Task, but not females. Our results are consistent with them in that our profiles follow the same direction as their findings, and further support them in that future studies should study which contents of metacognitive interventions could be more beneficial according to gender and profile of impairment.
While all the profiles could benefit from therapies that target metacognition, males could benefit from boosting sessions aimed at correcting the JTC, while females could benefit from boosting sessions directed to modify cognitive insight and attributional biases. Moreover, males that present JTC find optimal treatment in combining neurocognitive training with metacognitive therapy.
Finally, subjects with FEP do not receive an immediate chronic diagnosis, as the trajectories of the disease are heterogeneous. Predictors of profile membership and possible illness trajectories emerge in our work as promising topics for future research. Longitudinal studies assessing the prognosis of each profile and profile stability are encouraged.