Social functioning in first- and multiepisode schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE To compare the social functioning of individuals experiencing their first episodes of schizophrenia with those who have experienced multiple episodes and with nonpsychiatrically ill control subjects. METHOD Subjects included 40 patients with first-episode (FE) schizophrenia, 40 patients with multiepisode (ME) schizophrenia, and a control group of 40 nonpsychiatrically ill individuals. Three social-functioning measures were used: the Social Functioning Scale (SFS), the Quality of Life Scale (QOL), and the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills (AIPSS). RESULTS Control subjects significantly outperformed FE and ME participants on all social-functioning measures. FE and ME samples did not differ in their performance on the SFS and the AIPSS. On the QLS, ME participants outperformed FE participants. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that deficits in social functioning are present near the onset of schizophrenia.