PREDICTING SCHIZOPHRENIC OUTPATIENTS BEHAVIOR BY SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND SOCIAL SKILLS

Though social skills have been identified as an independent construct, recent studies have revealed that schizophrenic symptomatology and so cial skills are interrelated. The nature and extent of this relationsh ip, however, are far from clear. To address this issue, we examined 33 schizophrenic outpatients participating in a rehabilitation program f or an average of 10 months. The object of this study was to investigat e to what extent behavior can be predicted by symptomatology and socia l skills, and whether social skills have a significant effect on outpa tients' behavior independently of schizophrenic symptoms and vice vers a. Regression analyses revealed good prediction of outpatients' behavi or by conceptual disorganization and disorder of relating from the PAN SS and, to a lesser degree, social skills. After having eliminated the influence of psychopathology on social skills and behavior, social sk ills variables still had significant predictive value for social compe tence, social interest, and irritability. These findings imply specifi c contributions of both symptomatology and social skills to future beh avior of chronic schizophrenic outpatients.