TY - JOUR

T1 - Emotional Processing Profile in Patients with First Episode Schizophrenia

T2 - The Influence of Neurocognition

AU - Romero-Ferreiro, Veronica

AU - Garcia-Fernandez, Lorena

AU - Aparicio, Ana Isabel

AU - Martinez-Gtras, Isabel

AU - Dompablo, Monica

AU - Sanchez-Pastor, Luis

AU - Rentero, David

AU - Alvarez-Mon, Miguel Angel

AU - Espejo Saavedra, Juan Manuel

AU - Lahera, Guillermo

AU - Mari-Beffa, Paloma

AU - Santos, Jose Luis

AU - Rodriguez-Jimenez, Roberto

PY - 2022/4/6

Y1 - 2022/4/6

N2 - This study sought to investigate the influence of neurocognition on the emotional processing profiles of patients with first-episode schizophrenia, using the 4-branch Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) (Perceiving Emotions; Facilitating Emotions; Understanding Emotions and Managing Emotions). A sample of 78 patients with first-episode schizophrenia and a group of 90 non-psychiatric control subjects were included in this work. The initial results showed that patients had lower scores than controls for the "Understanding Emotions" and "Managing Emotions" MSCEIT branches. However, after controlling for neurocognition, the only deficits were found on the "Managing Emotions" branch of the MSCEIT. This branch can be considered as measuring a more sophisticated level of emotional processing, which may constitute a deficit in itself. In conclusion, patients with first-episode schizophrenia present deficits in social cognition at the highest level that seem to be independent from neurocognition. These findings support the inclusion of the "Managing Emotions" branch of the MSCEIT as part of the MCCB.

AB - This study sought to investigate the influence of neurocognition on the emotional processing profiles of patients with first-episode schizophrenia, using the 4-branch Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) (Perceiving Emotions; Facilitating Emotions; Understanding Emotions and Managing Emotions). A sample of 78 patients with first-episode schizophrenia and a group of 90 non-psychiatric control subjects were included in this work. The initial results showed that patients had lower scores than controls for the "Understanding Emotions" and "Managing Emotions" MSCEIT branches. However, after controlling for neurocognition, the only deficits were found on the "Managing Emotions" branch of the MSCEIT. This branch can be considered as measuring a more sophisticated level of emotional processing, which may constitute a deficit in itself. In conclusion, patients with first-episode schizophrenia present deficits in social cognition at the highest level that seem to be independent from neurocognition. These findings support the inclusion of the "Managing Emotions" branch of the MSCEIT as part of the MCCB.

KW - schizophrenia

KW - first episode

KW - MCCB

KW - emotional processing

KW - Social cognition

KW - MSCEIT

U2 - 10.3390/jcm11072044

DO - 10.3390/jcm11072044

M3 - Article

C2 - 35407652

VL - 11

JO - Journal of Clinical Medicine

JF - Journal of Clinical Medicine

SN - 2077-0383

IS - 7

M1 - 2044

ER -