Abstract

Our knowledge of how the more complex self-conscious emotions (SCEs) are affected in schizophrenia is sparse. SCEs, unlike basic emotions, involve sophisticated frontal-lobe-related cognition, impairment of which characterizes the neurocognitive profile of schizophrenia. We investigated, in a cross-sectional study, whether SCEs (shame, guilt and self-disgust) are affected in schizophrenia, and the relationship between changes in SCEs and executive (dys)function. Twenty-nine Greek and thirty Arabic patients with schizophrenia were recruited alongside twenty-two Greek and thirty Arabic matched controls. Participants were administered the Self-Disgust Scale (TOSCA for shame and guilt was also administered to the Greek sample), and the Trail Making and Verbal Fluency Tests to measure executive function (EF). Trait levels of self-disgust and guilt were found to be higher and lower, respectively, in patients with schizophrenia relative to control participants; and poorer EF was related with higher trait levels of SD, but lower trait levels of guilt. The pattern of findings was largely unaffected when controlling for anxiety and depression. Given that altered levels of SCEs are closely related to poorer EF, we suggest that the link between EF and emotion regulation, widely established in basic emotions but under-studied in SCEs, may explain the current findings.

摘要

我们对精神分裂症如何影响更复杂的自我意识情绪（SCE）的了解很少。与基本情绪不同，SCE 涉及复杂的额叶相关认知，其损伤是精神分裂症神经认知特征的特征。我们在一项横断面研究中调查了 SCE（羞耻、内疚和自我厌恶）是否受到精神分裂症的影响，以及 SCE 变化与执行（障碍）功能之间的关系。招募了 29 名希腊和 30 名阿拉伯精神分裂症患者以及 22 名希腊和 30 名阿拉伯匹配对照患者。参与者接受了自我厌恶量表（对希腊样本也进行了羞耻和内疚的 TOSCA 测试），并进行了跟踪测试和言语流利度测试来测量执行功能（EF）。研究发现，与对照参与者相比，精神分裂症患者的自我厌恶和内疚特质水平分别较高和较低。较差的 EF 与较高的 SD 特征水平相关，但与较低的内疚特征水平相关。当控制焦虑和抑郁时，结果的模式基本上不受影响。鉴于 SCE 水平的改变与较差的 EF 密切相关，我们认为 EF 和情绪调节之间的联系（广泛存在于基本情绪中但在 SCE 中研究不足）可能可以解释当前的发现。