A Transnosographic Self-Assessment of Social Cognitive Impairments (ACSO): First Data

Abstract

Social cognition refers to the mental operations underlying social interactions. Given the major role of social cognitive deficits in the disability associated with severe psychiatric disorders, they therefore constitute a crucial therapeutic target. However, no easily understandable and transnosographic self-assessment scale evaluating the perceived difficulties is available. This study aimed to analyze the psychometric qualities of a new self-administered questionnaire (ACSo) assessing subjective complaints in different domains of social cognition from 89 patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, bipolar disorders or autism. The results revealed satisfactory internal validity and test-retest properties allowing the computation of a total score along with four sub scores (attributional biases, social perception and knowledge, emotional perception and theory of mind). Moreover, the ACSo total score was correlated with other subjective assessments traditionally used in cognitive remediation practice but not with objective neuropsychological assessments of social cognition. In summary, the ACSo is of interest to complete the objective evaluation of social cognition processes with a subjective assessment adapted to people with serious mental illness or autism spectrum disorder.

When Alterations in Social Cognition Meet Subjective Complaints in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evaluation With the “ClaCoS” Battery

“…They further suggest that ASD adults are aware of their social difficulties in different areas, in line with their good insight and metacognitive abilities (76,96). In the validation study of the ACSo, Graux et al (82) did not observe any correlation between objective and subjective assessments of social cognition components (emotional perception and theory of mind), suggesting an altered "social cognitive insight" in adults with psychiatric disorders. However, in a transnosographic perspective, statistical analyses were performed in patients with different diagnoses, including a majority of participants with schizophrenia and a limited number of participants with ASD.…”

Perceptions of and subjective difficulties with social cognition in schizophrenia from an internet survey: Knowledge, clinical experiences, and awareness of association with social functioning

“…Subjective difficulties in social cognition were evaluated using the Self‐Assessment of Social Cognition Impairments (ACSo) and the Observable Social Cognition Rating Scale (OSCARS). The ACSo is a 12‐item self‐administered questionnaire that examines subjective complaints regarding four different domains of social cognitive impairment: emotional processes, social perception and knowledge, theory of mind, and attributional bias 22 . The OSCARS is an 8‐item self‐administered questionnaire that comprehensively examines subjective complaints regarding social cognitive impairment 23 .…”

“…Although a clinical strategy targeting social cognition is expected to be a key to improving social functioning and achieving clinical recovery, little is known about how social cognition itself is perceived by patients with schizophrenia. According to a few measures developed to assess subjective difficulties in social cognition, patients with schizophrenia were conscious of many difficulties when given detailed examples of social situations or behaviors that require social cognition 22,23 . However, to begin with, it may be very uncommon for patients with schizophrenia to know about social cognition and to have a clear sense of the need to receive treatment.…”

Study Protocol: The Evaluation Study for Social Cognition Measures in Japan (ESCoM)

“…The ACSo is a 12-item self-administered questionnaire that examines subjective complaints regarding four different domains of social cognitive impairment. The estimated time required is 5 min [ 43 , 44 ]. The original French text was translated to Japanese and then back-translated to French.…”