Social cognition refers to a complex set of mental abilities that support the construction of adequate social competence and adaptation. Impairments in social cognition can be found in several psychiatric disorders, particularly in psychoses. Polygenic Risk Scores (PRSs) represent single metrics of molecular genetic risk and are a predictor of the genetic susceptibility to diseases, although they explain only a small part of the risk.

To explore the association between PRS for psychiatric disorders and social cognition.

We conducted a systematic search in PubMed and Scopus according to the PRISMA guidelines up to August 2021. We included papers evaluating PRS and social cognition with psychometric scales. Articles concerning single-nucleotide polymorphisms and biological measures of social cognition (e.g., neuroimaging, peripheral biomarkers) were excluded.

We initially retrieved 150 articles. After removing duplicates, we screened 133 titles and abstracts and preliminary selected 19 papers. Participants recruited in the papers of interest were either people with schizophrenia, ASD or ADHD, their family members or healthy subjects. Articles evaluated the association between different psychometrical measures of social cognition and PRS for schizophrenia, Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD.

Literature regarding the association between PRS for psychiatric disorders and social cognition is heterogeneous in terms of populations, genetic risk evaluation, and outcome tools. Given the critical role played by social cognition in the onset and progression of mental disorders and its association with real-world functioning, future research should try to disentangle the complex genetic basis of this domain.

No significant relationships.

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently need support due to the elevated prevalence of psychiatric and medical comorbidities. The Covid-19 outbreak has severely affected the routinary functioning of healthcare services, thus causing severe consequences for autistic people and their caregivers, an already fragile population prone to mental health diseases.

1. To compare the levels of psychological well-being, insomnia, and family distress perceived by caregivers of autistic people to those perceived by caregivers of people with other types of disability. 2. To evaluate predictors of individual and family distress reported by caregivers of autistic individuals.

We collected data through a cross-sectional web-based observational study from April 19 to May 3, 2020. Socio-demographic information were collected, and psychopathological variables were assessed using the General Health Questionnaire-12, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Brief Resilient Coping Scale, and the Family Distress Index.

No significant differences emerged between the two groups of caregivers in terms of well-being, sleep quality, family distress, and level of resilience. The risk of individual distress during the pandemic was higher in people caring for younger autistic people. Lower levels of resilience predicted higher levels of individual distress among caregivers of autistic people.

Our study confirmed that caregivers’ mental health is worthy of attention and that people with disabilities may benefit for well-organized healthcare support networks (e.g. in-home services). The non-significant differences found between caregivers of ASD and non-ASD individuals may be related to the severe distress that Covid pandemic caused on the entire population.

No significant relationships.