Predictive Factors of Social Functioning in Patients with Schizophrenia: Exploration for the Best Combination of Variables Using Data Mining

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to use data mining to explore the significantly contributing variables to good social functioning in schizophrenia patients. METHODS The study cohort comprised 67 schizophrenia patients on stable medication. A total of 51 variables (6 demographic data, 3 illness history, 22 social cognition, 16 neurocognition, 4 psychiatric symptoms) were input into a data-mining decision tree using the Answer Tree program to find the pathway for the best social functioning. RESULTS Several contributing factors for good social functioning were found. Continuous attention was the strongest contributing factor. Three variables involving best social functioning included good continuous attention, good theory of mind (TOM), and low sensitivity of disgust emotion. CONCLUSION Our results confirmed the mediating roles of social cognition between neurocognition and functional outcomes, and suggested that social cognition can significantly predict social functioning in schizophrenia patients.