Volume 359, May 2026, 116997Author links open overlay panelHong-Min Zhang, Yong-Hua ZhangShow moreAccess through your organization

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Access through your organizationSection snippetsStatistical Non-Significance Misinterpreted as Clinical Stability

The authors reported that social network functioning remained stable over 6 months (LSNS-6 total score: b = −0.01, p = 0.284); however, equating statistical non-significance with clinical stability entails methodological concerns. First, a 50% attrition rate renders the missing-at-random (MAR) assumption highly questionable. Although Schock et al. reported in their published supplementary materials no baseline differences between participants who discontinued and those who completed the study,

Limitations in dichotomous illness duration stratification

The dichotomous stratification by illness duration (early psychosis [EP] vs. chronic psychosis [CP] using a 2-year cutoff) lacks empirical justification and overlooks the continuous trajectory of psychotic disorders. Critically, the study neither reported baseline differences between EP/CP groups on key clinical variables (e.g., hospitalization history, symptom dimensions) nor adjusted for confounders such as baseline social functioning, episode severity, or time from discharge to enrollment

R-GPTS scoring range discrepancy

A scoring discrepancy exists for the R-GPTS: the Methods section states a total score range of 0–40, yet the maximum observed score in the SSD group was 68 (Results). Per the scale’s original validation (Green et al., 2008), the R-GPTS total score spans 0–72 (sum of Persecutory Ideas [0–32] and Ideas of Reference [0–40] subscales). This inconsistency may distort effect size interpretation (e.g., b = −1.01 represents a smaller proportional change on a 0–72 scale). We recommend correcting the

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Hong-Min Zhang: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Conceptualization. Yong-Hua Zhang: Writing – review & editing, Validation.

Declaration of competing interest

The author declares no competing interests.

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