Empathy and Its Relationship With Social Functioning in Individuals at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis

Introduction: Social functioning is often impaired in the ultra-high-risk (UHR) phase of psychosis. There is some evidence that empathy is also impaired in this phase and that these impairments may underlie difficulties in social functioning. The main aim of this study was to investigate whether cognitive and affective empathy are lower in people in the UHR phase of psychosis in comparison to healthy controls, and whether possible impairments have the same magnitude as in people with schizophrenia. A second aim was to examine whether there is a relationship between empathy and social functioning in individuals in the UHR phase.Method: Forty-three individuals at UHR for psychosis, 92 people with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, and 49 persons without a psychiatric disorder completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE), and Faux Pas as instruments to measure empathy. The Time Use survey was used to measure social functioning. MAN(C)OVA was used to analyse differences between groups on empathy and social functioning, and correlations were calculated between empathy measures and social functioning for each group.Results: The UHR group presented significantly lower levels of self-reported cognitive empathy than the healthy controls, but not compared to patients with SSD, while performance-based cognitive empathy was unimpaired in the UHR group. On the affective measures, we found that people with UHR and patients with SSD had significantly higher levels of self-reported distress in interpersonal settings compared to healthy controls. In the UHR group, perspective-taking was negatively associated with time spent on structured social activities. In the SSD group, we found that structured social activities were positively associated with perspective-taking and negatively associated with personal distress in interactions with others. Lastly, in people without mental illness, social activities were positively associated with performance-based perspective-taking.Conclusion: Impairments in subjective cognitive empathy appear to be present in the UHR phase, suggesting that difficulties in interpreting the thoughts and feelings of others precede the onset of psychotic disorders. This can inform future interventions in the UHR phase.

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T61. FEELINGS OF SHAME AND GUILT IN INDIVIDUALS AT ULTRA-HIGH RISK FOR PSYCHOSIS

Schizophrenia Bulletin ◽

10.1093/schbul/sbaa029.621 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S254-S255

Author(s):

Hye Yoon Park ◽

Eunchong Seo ◽

Se Jun Koo ◽

Eun Lee ◽

Suk Kyoon An

Keyword(s):

Regression Analysis ◽

High Risk ◽

Perspective Taking ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Reactivity Index ◽

Personal Distress ◽

Ultra High Risk ◽

Shame And Guilt

Abstract Background Self-conscious emotions, such as shame and guilt, play a key role in one’s thoughts and behaviors. Our study investigated how shame and guilt were different concerning multiple aspects of social cognitive abilities, and we evaluated the self-conscious emotions in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. Methods Firstly, one hundred and sixty-six healthy youths were assessed for shame and guilt using the test of self-conscious affect, for empathy using interpersonal reactivity index (IRI), and for Theory of Mind (ToM) ability using the ToM picture stories task. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to predict shame and guilt from the social cognitive variables. Secondly, twenty-four UHR and 24 age- and sex-matched normal controls were compared for shame, guilt, empathy, and ToM ability. Results Results in healthy youths, regression analysis with shame revealed that fantasy (t=3.0, p=0.003, β=0.22) and personal distress (t=5.8, p<0.001, β=0.42) of IRI and affective ToM (t=2.0, p=0.044, β=0.14) were significant determinants. In the regression model of guilt, there were independent predictors including perspective taking (t=3.5, p=0.001, β=0.28) and empathic concern (t=2.1, p=0.040, β=0.17) of IRI and cognitive ToM (t=2.1, p=0.037, β=0.15). In UHR individuals, higher levels of shame (t=-2.4, p=0.021), fantasy (t=-2.3, p=0.028), and personal distress (t=-3.4, p=0.001) and lower levels of perspective taking (t=4.0, p<0.001) and cognitive ToM (t=4.2, p<0.001) were observed. Moreover, high levels of shame was correlated with increased personal distress (r=0.78, p<0.001) in UHR for psychosis. Discussion These findings suggest that empathy and ToM ability predict persons’ shame- or guilt-proneness in healthy youths, and heightened personal distress in UHR individuals may possibly influence the level of shame which could lead to socially maladjustment behaviors. Dealing with social cognitive function would be helpful for reparation to UHR individuals.

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Effects of cannabis use on event related potentials in subjects at ultra high risk for psychosis and healthy controls

International Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.03.012 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 88 (2) ◽

pp. 149-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Mirjam J. van Tricht ◽

Emma C. Harmsen ◽

Johannes H.T.M. Koelman ◽

Lo J. Bour ◽

Thérèse A. van Amelsvoort ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Cannabis Use ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Ultra High Risk ◽

Related Potentials

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S150. EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOUR IN HIGH-RISK AND FIRST-EPISODE PSYCHOSIS

Schizophrenia Bulletin ◽

10.1093/schbul/sbaa031.216 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S93-S93

Author(s):

Irina Falkenberg ◽

Huai-Hsuan Tseng ◽

Gemma Modinos ◽

Barbara Wild ◽

Philip McGuire ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Emotion Recognition ◽

Psychotic Disorders ◽

First Episode Psychosis ◽

First Episode ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Emotional Faces ◽

Facial Movements ◽

Episode Psychosis ◽

Ultra High Risk

Abstract Background Studies indicate that people with schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis experience deficits in their ability to accurately detect and display emotions through facial expressions, and that functioning and symptoms are associated with these deficits. This study aims to examine how emotion recognition and facial emotion expression are related to functioning and symptoms in a sample of individuals at ultra-high risk, first-episode psychosis and healthy controls. Methods During fMRI, we combined the presentation of emotional faces with the instruction to react with facial movements predetermined and assigned. 18 patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP), 18 individuals at ultra high risk of psychosis (UHR) and 22 healthy controls (HCs) were examined while viewing happy, sad, or neutral faces and were instructed to simultaneously move the corners of their mouths either (a). upwards or (b). downwards, or (c). to refrain from movement. The subjects’ facial movements were recorded with an MR-compatible video camera. Results Neurofunctional and behavioral response to emotional faces were measured. Analyses have only recently commenced and are ongoing. Full results of the clinical and functional impact of behavioral and neuroimaging results will be presented at the meeting. Discussion Increased knowledge about abnormalities in emotion recognition and behaviour as well as their neural correlates and their impact on clinical measures and functional outcome can inform the development of novel treatment approaches to improve social skills early in the course of schizophrenia and psychotic disorders.

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Evaluating empathy in adolescents with conduct disorders

Vojnosanitetski pregled ◽

10.2298/vsp150121031k ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 73 (5) ◽

pp. 429-434 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jelena Kostic ◽

Milkica Nesic ◽

Miodrag Stankovic ◽

Olivera Zikic ◽

Jasminka Markovic

Keyword(s):

Conduct Disorder ◽

Negative Correlation ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Perspective Taking ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Conduct Disorders ◽

Self Report ◽

Reactivity Index ◽

Control Group ◽

Affective Empathy

Background/Aim. According to currently available data, there is no research dealing with evaluating empathy in adolescents with conduct disorders in our region. The aim of the research was to examine the differences in the severity of cognitive and affective empathy in adolescents with and with no conduct disorder, as well as to examine the relationship between cognitive and affective empathy and the level of externalization in adolescents with conduct disorder. Methods. This research was conducted on 171 adolescents, aged 15 to 18, using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Youth Self- Report and a Questionnaire constructed for the purpose of this research. Results. The results showed that adolescents with conduct disorder had significantly lower scores for Perspective Taking (t = 3.255, p = 0.001), Fantasy (t = 2.133, p = 0.034) and Empathic Concern (t = 2.479, p = 0.014) compared to the adolescents in the control group, while the values for Personal Distress (t = 1.818, p = 0.071) were higher compared to the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant. The study showed a statistically significant negative correlation between Perspective Taking and aggression (r = - 0.318, p = 0.003) and a negative correlation between Perspective Taking and the overall level of externalizing problems (r = -0.310, p = 0.004) in the group of adolescents with conduct disorder. Conclusion. This research contributes to better understanding of behavioral disorders in terms of individual factors, especially empathic reactivity. Preventive work with young people who have behavioral problems associated with empathy deficit disorder proved to be an important tool in preventing the development, or at least relieving the symptoms, of this ever more common disorder.

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Longitudinal Patterns of Social Functioning and Conversion to Psychosis in Subjects at Ultra-High Risk

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.3109/00048674.2011.595684 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 45 (9) ◽

pp. 763-770 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Joon Hwan Jang ◽

Na Young Shin ◽

Geumsook Shim ◽

Hye Yoon Park ◽

Euitae Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Social Functioning ◽

Longitudinal Patterns ◽

Ultra High Risk

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Development of Executive Functions as Reflected in Daily Life Behaviors in Young Adults at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis: Associations With Symptoms and Functioning

Schizophrenia Bulletin Open ◽

10.1093/schizbullopen/sgaa049 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Louise Birkedal Glenthøj ◽

Carsten Hjorthøj ◽

Tina Dam Kristensen ◽

Christina Wenneberg ◽

Merete Nordentoft ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Social Functioning ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Daily Life ◽

Real Life ◽

Psychotic Symptoms ◽

Ultra High Risk ◽

Behaviour Rating

Abstract There is a paucity of evidence on executive functions (EF) as reflected in daily life behaviors in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. This prospective follow-up study investigated the 1-year development in EF in UHR compared to healthy controls (HC) and how this change may relate to change in severity of clinical symptoms, social communication, and functioning. UHR (N = 132) and HC (N = 66) were assessed with the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Adult version (BRIEF-A) self and informant report at baseline and 12 months follow-up comprising the Behavioral Regulation Index (BRI) and the Metacognition Index (MI). Additionally, data on depressive-, negative-, and attenuated psychotic symptoms and everyday social functioning were collected. The study found UHR to display large baseline impairments in EF in real life on both self- and informant reports. UHR and HC showed a significantly different development of EF over time, with UHR displaying greater improvements in EF compared to HC. Change in clinical symptoms did not relate to improvements in EF, except for depressive symptoms negatively associating with the development of the MI. Improvements on the BRI and MI were significantly associated with improvements in social functioning. Findings suggest the potential of UHR individuals displaying a larger ongoing maturational development of daily life EF than HC that seems predominantly independent of development of clinical symptoms. If replicated, this supports a maturational trajectory of daily life EF in UHR that approaches, but do not reach, the level of HC and may indicate a window of opportunity for targeted remediation approaches.

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Relations of Self-Esteem with Paranoia in Healthy Controls, Individuals at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis and with Recent Onset Schizophrenia

Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research ◽

10.16946/kjsr.2013.16.2.86 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 86

Author(s):

Hui-Woo Yoon ◽

Yun Young Song ◽

Jee In Kang ◽

Suk Kyoon An

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Recent Onset ◽

Ultra High Risk

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Discriminative Analysis of Symptom Severity and Ultra-High Risk of Schizophrenia Using Intrinsic Functional Connectivity

International Journal of Neural Systems ◽

10.1142/s0129065720500471 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (09) ◽

pp. 2050047

Author(s):

Lubin Wang ◽

Xianbin Li ◽

Yuyang Zhu ◽

Bei Lin ◽

Qijing Bo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Symptom Severity ◽

Large Scale ◽

Brain Networks ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Support Vector ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Intrinsic Functional Connectivity ◽

Ultra High Risk

Past studies have consistently shown functional dysconnectivity of large-scale brain networks in schizophrenia. In this study, we aimed to further assess whether multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) could yield a sensitive predictor of patient symptoms, as well as identify ultra-high risk (UHR) stage of schizophrenia from intrinsic functional connectivity of whole-brain networks. We first combined rank-based feature selection and support vector machine methods to distinguish between 43 schizophrenia patients and 52 healthy controls. The constructed classifier was then applied to examine functional connectivity profiles of 18 UHR individuals. The classifier indicated reliable relationship between MVPA measures and symptom severity, with higher classification accuracy in more severely affected schizophrenia patients. The UHR subjects had classification scores falling between those of healthy controls and patients, suggesting an intermediate level of functional brain abnormalities. Moreover, UHR individuals with schizophrenia-like connectivity profiles at baseline presented higher rate of conversion to full-blown illness in the follow-up visits. Spatial maps of discriminative brain regions implicated increases of functional connectivity in the default mode network, whereas decreases of functional connectivity in the cerebellum, thalamus and visual areas in schizophrenia. The findings may have potential utility in the early diagnosis and intervention of schizophrenia.

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