Abstract

- Background: Understanding the role of mediating effects of psychotic symptoms and medication-taking self-efficacy on Social dysfunction could help identifying persons at the risk of progression to schizophrenia with methamphetamine misuse and guide early integrated relapse intervention. Objectives: To test a hypothetical model of psychotic symptoms in persons with schizophrenia and misusing methamphetamines and to test the mediating effects of psychotic symptoms and medication-taking self-efficacy on Social dysfunction. Methods: In a cross sectional-study, 313 participants from 9 settings were enrolled. A set of five questionnaires were applied, including of the Demographic Data Questionnaire, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Self-efficacy for Appropriate Medication Use Scale, the Stressful Life Events Questionnaire, and the Social Dysfunctioning Scale, paralleled with social support questionnaire. Path analysis was used to test the model and hypothesis to predict the mediating effects. Results: The model indicated a good fit of the data (#xF063;2 = 114, df = 92, p-value = 0.057, GFI = 0.96, AGFI = 0.92, CFI = 1.00, RMSEA = 0.028. The path analysis showed that social support, medication-taking self-,and psychotic symptoms had a positive direct effects on social dysfunction in schizophrenia and misused methamphetamines persons. The explanatory variables accounted for 26% of the variance in explaining social dysfunction. Medication self-efficacy had direct effect on psychotic symptoms. Social support had direct effect on medication use self-efficacy. Psychotic symptoms had the largest and a significant direct impact on social dysfunction. Social dysfunction was inducible from the stressful life event, but it could be mediated by efficacy of the treatment. Conclusions: Psychotic symptoms was the most important predictor for persons with schizophrenia and misused of methamphetamine. The psychotic symptoms are playing a significant role on social dysfunction. Earl