Affectivity in the problem-solving interactions of schizophrenia patients and their family members

This study sought to examine the relationship between symptomatology and the affect expressed between individuals with schizophrenia and their family members. It was hypothesized that, because of their impact on patient social behavior and potential burden on relatives, greater negative symptoms would be associated with less emotional expression in patients but would be related to the greater expression of negative emotions in their relatives within a problem-solving discussion. Informed by research on the structure of emotion, a broad assessment of affect, including Negativity, Positivity, and Disengagement, was utilized to examine affect expressed by patients with schizophrenic disorders (N=91) and their family members during videotaped problem-solving discussions. Although individuals with schizophrenia were comparable to their family members in displays of Negativity, patients displayed less Positivity and greater Disengagement. Greater negative symptoms (in particular blunted or flat affect) were related to a general diminution of affective expression in the schizophrenia group. However, negative symptoms were unrelated to the emotional expression of family members. Other symptoms such as thought disorder and mood symptoms of anxiety, depression, and hostility were not related to displays of affect by either patients or their family members. The findings indicate the importance of examining domains of affect other than negativity and demonstrate that negative symptoms are related to interpersonal displays of affect in schizophrenia. Additionally, these results suggest that schizophrenic symptoms, by themselves, may contribute little to the conflict between patients and their family members.