Hope, awareness of illness, and coping in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: evidence of an interaction.

Controversy exists regarding whether awareness of schizophrenia is linked with healthier or poorer psychosocial function. This study examined whether hope might interact with insight to affect function at the level of active versus avoidant coping preferences among 96 persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Factorial multivariate analysis of variance comparing groups classified on the basis of hope and insight scores revealed a significant interaction between hope and insight (Wilks A = 2.7; p < 0.05). Post hoc analyses indicated that persons with high insight and high hope demonstrated the most adaptive coping preferences, whereas those with high insight and lower hope demonstrated the least.