Profiling of experiential pleasure, emotional regulation and emotion expression in patients with schizophrenia

Y.-M. Zou, K. Ni, Z.-Y. Yang, Y. Li, X.-L. Cai, D.-J. Xie, R.-T. Zhang, F.-C. Zhou, W.-X. Li, S.S.Y. Lui, Ho Keung David Shum, E.F.C. Cheung, R.C.K. Chan

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Emotion deficits may be the basis of negative symptoms in schizophrenia patients and they are prevalent in these patients. However, inconsistent findings about emotion deficits in schizophrenia suggest that there may be subtypes. Aim: The present study aimed to examine and profile experiential pleasure, emotional regulation and expression in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: A set of checklists specifically capturing experiential pleasure, emotional regulation, emotion expression, depressive symptoms and anhedonia were administered to 146 in-patients with schizophrenia and 73 demographically-matched healthy controls. Psychiatric symptoms and negative symptoms were also evaluated by a trained psychiatrist for patients with schizophrenia. Results: Two-stage cluster analysis and discriminant function analysis were used to analyze the profile of these measures in patients with schizophrenia. We found a three-cluster solution. Cluster 1 (n = 41) was characterized by a deficit in experiential pleasure and emotional regulation, Cluster 2 (n = 47) was characterized by a general deficit in experiential pleasure, emotional regulation and emotion expression, and Cluster 3 (n = 57) was characterized by a deficit in emotion expression. Results of a discriminant function analysis indicated that the three groups were reasonably discrete. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that schizophrenia patients can be classified into three subtypes based on experiential pleasure, emotional regulation and emotion expression, which are characterized by distinct clinical representations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)396-401
Number of pages6
JournalSchizophrenia Research
Volume195
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cluster analysis
  • Experience
  • Expression
  • Regulation
  • Schizophrenia

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Biological Psychiatry

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