Emotion word use in the conversational speech of schizophrenia patients.
BACKGROUND
Many recent studies have found that, although schizophrenia patients tend to display diminished facial expressions of emotion, they report levels of emotional experiences that are similar to those of controls. Although these findings are very informative, it is unknown whether such dissociation exits for other modalities such as verbal expression of emotion. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the use of emotion words during a free speech task and subjective experience of emotion in schizophrenia patients and controls.


METHODS
Speech samples of 48 schizophrenia patients and 48 nonpsychiatric control individuals were compared on the type and amount of emotional words used, as well as on the level of self-reported stress experienced while providing descriptions of themselves.


RESULTS
Groups did not differ in the amount or type of emotion words uttered during the free speech task. Patients, however, found the task more stressful than controls. Emotion word use and subjective emotional experience were not related in either group.


CONCLUSIONS
Results do not fully support prior findings, but are consistent with the notion of a lack of correspondence between the expression and experience of emotion.
St-Hilaire
Annie
A
Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA. asthila1@kent.edu
Cohen
Alex S
AS
Docherty
Nancy M
NM
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001143:Arousal; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D004644:Emotions; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012564:Schizophrenic Language; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012660:Semantics; D012737:Sex Factors; D014705:Verbal Behavior