Facial Emotion Recognition Ability in Individuals with Remitted Schizophrenia in Comparison to Healthy Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Background: Facial emotion recognition is one of the significant domains of social cognition that underlie social interactions. These deficits can influence the functional outcome in individuals with schizophrenia by impairing judgment toward others and reducing their capability to function. We aimed to assess the facial emotion recognition deficits in individuals with schizophrenia in comparison to healthy individuals and find their association with clinical and demographic profiles.

Methods: This cross-sectional study compared individuals with schizophrenia in a stable remitted phase of illness to an age, gender, and education-matched healthy population, including 30 participants in each group. The assessment was done using Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE-III), AIIMS Facial Toolbox for Emotion Recognition (AFTER), and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Intergroup comparison was done using the Independent sample t-test, and the association of facial emotional deficit with any clinical or demographic factor was analyzed using Pearson's correlation.

Results: The schizophrenia group performed significantly worse than healthy controls on identifying positive and negative emotions except for happiness. The time to recognize emotion was also found to be significantly more in the schizophrenia group than in controls. Also, significant cognitive deficits were found in the schizophrenia group in comparison to the healthy population. Negative emotions were found to be more correlated to psychopathology.

Conclusion: Individuals with schizophrenia appear to have a stable deficit in facial emotion recognition (more in negative emotions). Cognitive deficits are seen more in individuals with schizophrenia as compared to healthy populations, even in their stable phase of illness.