Browsing by Author "Ayala, Alexandra"

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    Metacognitive Beliefs and Metacognitive Capacity: Do They Assess Related Phenomena?
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2023) Ayala, Alexandra; Mickens, Jessica L.; Myers, Evan J.; Abel, Danielle B.; Hegwood, Ceouna M.; Davis, Beshaun J.; Lysaker, Paul H.; Minor, Kyle S.; Psychology, School of Science
    Metacognition has been defined several ways across different fields. In schizophrenia, two primary approaches to assessing metacognition focus on measuring metacognitive beliefs and metacognitive capacity. The degree of association between these two approaches is unclear. In this pilot study, schizophrenia (n = 39) and control groups (n = 46) were assessed using metacognitive beliefs (Metacognition Questionnaire-30) and metacognitive capacity (Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated) scales. We also examined how these two approaches predicted quality of life. Results showed anticipated differences for metacognitive beliefs, metacognitive capacity, and quality of life when comparing schizophrenia and healthy control groups. However, metacognitive beliefs and metacognitive capacity were not significantly related and only predicted quality of life in the healthy control group. Although preliminary, these findings suggest these two approaches have a limited relationship with one another. Future studies should test these findings in larger samples and focus on examining associations at different levels of metacognitive functioning in those with schizophrenia.
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    Stuck Inside: How Social Functioning in Schizophrenia Changed During the COVID-19 Pandemic
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2022) Minor, Kyle S.; Myers, Evan J.; Abel, Danielle B.; Mickens, Jessica L.; Ayala, Alexandra; Warren, Kiara K.; Vohs, Jenifer L.; Psychology, School of Science
    Social distancing policies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic altered our social interactions. People with schizophrenia, who already exhibit social deficits, may have been disproportionally impacted. In this pilot study, we a) compared prepandemic social functioning to functioning during the pandemic in people with schizophrenia ( n = 21) who had data at both time points; and b) examined if patterns of decline in schizophrenia differed from healthy controls ( n = 21) across a series of repeated-measures analyses of variance. We observed larger declines in social functioning in schizophrenia (η 2 = 0.07, medium effect size) during the pandemic compared with the control group. Between-group declines did not extend to other domains, suggesting that declines are specific to social functioning. Our findings signal that treatments focusing on reconnecting people with schizophrenia to their social networks should be prioritized. Future studies should continue tracking social functioning after the pandemic to illustrate patterns of recovery.