Comparison of metacognition properties and social functionality of patients with mental disorders

The aim of this study was to compare the metacognition characteristics and social functionality of patients with different mental disorders. The comparative descriptive study was conducted in a psychiatric outpatient clinic of a research hospital and a Family Health Center (FHC). The sample of the study consists of mental patients and healthy individuals. There are 280 individuals with mental disorders. Patients consisted of 50 individuals from each mental disorder group who met the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and 30 individuals from OCD. Healthy individuals in the control group consisted of 50 individuals who were not diagnosed with any mental disorder. The sample consisted of 330 individuals. Personal Information Form, Metacognition Scale-30 (MCQ-30) and Social Functioning Scale (SCQ) were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, pearson correlation analysis, independent samples t test, One Way ANOVA test were used for data evaluation. The mean age of the individuals was 35.4 ± 9.9, 60.3% were male, 59.4% were married and 41.2% were primary school graduates. Metacognitive disorder levels of individuals with mental disorders were found to be above the average. Among the mental disorders included in the study, metacognitive disorder was found to be the highest in depression patients and the lowest in schizophrenia and psychosis patients. There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of metacognitive disorder (p <0.05). Social functioning levels of individuals with mental disorders were found to be below the average. The group with the most impaired social functioning was schizophrenia and disorders with psychosis, and a significant difference was found between the medical diagnosis groups (p <0.05). There was no significant relationship between the metacognition and social functioning scales total score (p = 0.363). However, there were significant relationships between the sub-dimensions of the scales (p <0.05). It is recommended that psychiatric nurses practice metacognitive training, metacognitive therapy, psychosocial skills training, and metacognitive focused social skills training for mental patients. Keywords: Psychiatric Nursing, Mental Disorder, Social Functioning, Metacognition