How to assess emotional recognition in individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders: a pilot study

Emotional recognition is a part of more general behaviour to promote adequate inter-relationship patterns and social functionality. Previous results on emotional recognition in individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders suggest an impairment of this ability resulting in social inability. The purpose of the present pilot study was to investigate if the sensory modalities – visual and auditory- of stimuli interferes in the evaluation of emotional recognition and the relation between time of diagnosis and time of permanence in the rehabilitation centre and emotional recognition. The study involved a sample of thirty individuals, of both genders (70% men and 30% women), aged between 26 and 58 years old with a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders that attended two psychosocial rehabilitation centers of Oporto. They were presented with sets of visual (faces) and auditive (phrases) stimuli in order to evaluate their ability to recognize Ekman’s universal emotions. The results point to a better recognition of visual stimuli when compared auditive stimuli. In both sensory modality, joy and surprise are the emotions more correctly recognized with a significant statistical difference between modalities. For the emotion of sadness, the ability to better recognize sadness is through auditory stimuli. The time of diagnosis is positive and significantly associated with the recognition of the emotions of disgust and fear when using prosody. As to the impact of time of permanence in the institution and the ability to recognize emotions, the results suggest that a longer permanence is related to a more impaired ability for recognition. Evaluation and training of emotional recognition such be rethought.