Jumping to conclusions (JTC) and impaired social cognition (SC) affect the decoding, processing, and use of social information by people with psychosis. However, the relationship between them had not been deeply explored within psychosis in general, and in first-episode psychosis (FEP) in particular. Our aim was to study the relationship between JTC and SC in a sample with FEP. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 121 patients with FEP, with measures to assess JTC (easy, hard, and salient probability tasks) and SC (emotional recognition, attributional style, and theory of mind). We performed Student’s t-test and logistic regression in order to analyse these associations.We found a statistically significant and consistent relationship of small-moderate effect size between JTC (all three tasks) and impaired emotional recognition. Also, our results suggest a relationship between JTC and internal attributions for negative events. Relationships between JTC and theory of mind were not found. These results highlight the importance of psychological treatments oriented to work on a hasty reasoning style and on improving processing of social information linked to emotional recognition and single-cause attributions.

Metacognitive training (MCT) is an effective treatment for psychosis. Longitudinal trajectories of treatment response are unknown but could point to strategies to maximize treatment efficacy during the first episodes. This work aims to explore the possible benefit of using latent class mixed models (LCMMs) to understand how treatment response differs between metacognitive training and psychoeducation. We conducted LCMMs in 28 patients that received MCT and 34 patients that received psychoeducation. We found that MCT is effective in improving cognitive insight in all patients but that these effects wane at follow-up. In contrast, psychoeducation does not improve cognitive insight, and may increase self-certainty in a group of patients. These results suggest that LCMMs are valuable tools that can aid in treatment prescription and in predicting response to specific treatments.

The aim of this study was to explore gender differences in social cognition in a sample of first-episode psychosis (FEP). An observational descriptive study was performed with 191 individuals with FEP. Emotion perception was assessed using the Faces Test, theory of mind was assessed using the Hinting Task, and attributional style was assessed using the Internal, Personal and Situational Attributions Questionnaire. No gender differences were found in any of the social cognitive domains. Our results suggest that men and women with FEP achieve similar performances in social cognition. Therefore, targeting specific needs in social cognition regarding gender may not be required in early interventions for psychosis.

This study investigates, for the first time, clinical, cognitive, social cognitive and metacognitive differences in people diagnosed with first-episode of psychosis (FEP) with and without a family history of mental disorder split by maternal and paternal antecedents. A total of 186 individuals with FEP between 18 and 45 years old were recruited in community mental-health services. A transversal, descriptive, observational design was chosen for this study. Results suggest that there is a higher prevalence of maternal history of psychosis rather than paternal, and furthermore, these individuals exhibit a specific clinical, social and metacognitive profile. Individuals with a maternal history of mental disorder scored higher in delusional experiences, inhibition of the response to a stimulus and higher emotional irresponsibility while presenting a poorer overall functioning as compared to individuals without maternal history. Individuals with paternal history of mental disorder score higher in externalizing attributional bias, irrational beliefs of need for external validation and high expectations. This study elucidates different profiles of persons with FEP and the influence of the maternal and paternal family history on clinical, cognitive, social and metacognitive variables, which should be taken into account when offering individualized early treatment.

Impaired metacognition, the capacity to understand one's own and others' mental states, has gained increasing attention in psychosis research. Different conceptualizations, psychological treatments and assessment methods have emerged; however, there is a lack of consensus regarding the appropriate tools for clinical and research use. This systematic review had two aims: (1) to compile and organize available assessment tools and (2) to propose an index of metacognitive domains and processes. Instruments were categorized according to authorship, year of use in psychosis, outcomes assessed, language/version, administration time and type of Clinical Outcome Assessment (ClinRO, PRO or PerfO). We identified 42 studies that used 31 instruments. The tools were classified into four domains: Metacognitive Awareness, Metacognitive Capacity, Neurometacognition and Social Metacognition. Our findings highlight the diversity of the available measures and propose a framework for aligning instruments with specific reflective processes. This work represents a practical and theoretical first step toward building consensus and facilitating both the use of available tools according to practical needs and the development of an agreed‐upon definition and components of metacognition.

Jumping to conclusions (JTC) bias is a hallmark cognitive bias in psychosis that involves hasty decision-making with limited evidence. Previous research has shown links between JTC and neurocognitive (NC), social cognitive (SC), metacognitive (MC), and clinical (CV) variables, but sex-based differences in these relationships remain understudied. This multicenter cross-sectional study included 121 first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients from nine Spanish mental health centers. Participants underwent comprehensive assessments of JTC, SC, NC, MC, and CV, and the interaction between JTC and sex was analysed. JTC-women attributed negative causes of events to themselves more often than non-JTC women and men, while JTC-men displayed more cognitive rigidity, slower processing speed, and better self-esteem compared to their non-JTC counterparts. Non-JTC-women showed better verbal memory recall. Logistic regression revealed distinct predictors for JTC by sex: women were influenced by negative internalization of events and visuospatial speed, while men’s JTC was linked to errors in executive functions and memory. These results highlight the importance of sex-specific patterns in JTC and suggest that women might benefit from interventions targeting reflective thinking and social cognition, whereas men may need neurocognitive rehabilitation strategies.