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

Ying-Min Zou; Ke Ni; Zhuo-Ya Yang; Ying Li; Xin-Lu Cai; Dong-Jie Xie; Rui-Ting Zhang; Fu-Chun Zhou; Wen-Xiu Li; Simon S Y Lui; David H K Shum; Eric F C Cheung; Raymond C K Chan

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2017.08.048

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

Schizophr Res. 2018 May:195:396-401. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.08.048. Epub 2017 Aug 30.

Authors

Ying-Min Zou¹, Ke Ni², Zhuo-Ya Yang¹, Ying Li³, Xin-Lu Cai⁴, Dong-Jie Xie¹, Rui-Ting Zhang¹, Fu-Chun Zhou⁵, Wen-Xiu Li⁶, Simon S Y Lui⁷, David H K Shum⁸, Eric F C Cheung⁷, Raymond C K Chan⁹

Affiliations

¹ Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
² Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Qigihar Mental Health Center, Heilongjiang, China.
³ Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Haidian District Mental Health Prevent-Treatment Hospital, Beijing, China.
⁴ Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing 100190, China.
⁵ Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
⁶ Haidian District Mental Health Prevent-Treatment Hospital, Beijing, China.
⁷ Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
⁸ Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia; School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
⁹ Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Electronic address: rckchan@psych.ac.cn.

PMID: 28869096
DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.08.048

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.

Keywords: Cluster analysis; Experience; Expression; Regulation; Schizophrenia.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Anhedonia / physiology*
Anticipation, Psychological
Cluster Analysis
Depression / diagnosis
Depression / etiology*
Discriminant Analysis
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Pleasure / physiology*
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Schizophrenia / complications*
Schizophrenic Psychology*
Self Report