Toward an Understanding of Incongruent Affect in People With Schizophrenia

Previous studies have found that people with schizophrenia report more negative affect (NA) in response to positive and neutral stimuli (incongruent NA) than people without schizophrenia, perhaps related to heightened overall NA. We sought to decrease NA and increase positive affect (PA) using the Broad-Minded Affective Coping (BMAC) procedure in people with (n = 29) and without (n = 26) schizophrenia. We also investigated whether decreased NA would contribute to a decrease in incongruent NA in people with schizophrenia. The BMAC procedure increased PA but did not decrease NA in participants, nor did it influence reports of incongruent NA (in response to positive and neutral films) in people with schizophrenia. Baseline NA in people with schizophrenia was correlated with incongruent NA and symptom severity. Results indicate that people with schizophrenia report heightened NA that does not readily diminish in the face of heightened PA.