Affect recognition as an independent social function determinant in schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
Facial affect recognition deficits may represent specific deficits and contribute to social dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia. Whether their impacts on social dysfunction are independent to those caused by deficits in basic neurocognition and clinical symptoms needs to be further delineated.


METHODS
Association patterns between affect recognition and basic neurocognitive abilities in 40 acute and 33 stable patients with schizophrenia were compared to explore whether their interrelationships changed across clinical stages. The independent contribution of affect recognition deficits to social dysfunction was explored by multivariate models controlling for general intellectual ability, basic neurocognition, and clinical symptoms.


RESULTS
Affect recognition deficits were associated with social role performances, self-care, and contributed independently to global social functioning in stable patients but not in acute patients. Conversely, affect recognition deficits were associated with impaired basic neurocognitions in acute patients but not in stable patients.


CONCLUSIONS
In stabilized community patients with schizophrenia, affect recognition deficits were relatively independent to basic neurocognition and had significant social functional consequences.
Pan
Yi-Ju
YJ
Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chen
Sue-Huei
SH
Chen
Wei J
WJ
Liu
Shi-Kai
SK
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001288:Attention; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D055815:Young Adult