Confirmatory and disconfirmatory feedback in families of schizophrenics, pathological controls and normals

Two studies are reported measuring feedback mechanism in 10,771 communication acts in families of schizophrenics, nonschizophrenics within the range of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and healthy offspring, using the Confirmation-Disconfirmation Coding System (CONDIS). Couples were observed in interaction with their offspring in situations provoking disagreement using the Colour Conflict Method (CCM) (n = 21), and alone during collaboration (n = 21) using the Consensus Spouse-Rorschach Method, respectively. The main categories of confirmatory and disconfirmatory feedback showed cross-situational stability, whereas subcategories such as egocentric utterances and active disqualification of others varied across situations and gave predicted differential deficits in S-parents. In 8 of 14 analyses, parents of pathological controls came out similar to normals or between normals and schizophrenics. The results supported the construct validity of CONDIS. Feedback mechanisms in parental communication were associated with schizophrenic traits in the offspring, incomprehensible egocentric utterances and active disqualification of others with schizophrenia.