Through the Lens of Schizophrenia: Recognizing Negative Facial Expressions and Family Patterns

Abstract:Schizophrenia is a complex disorder with symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, and impaired social interactions, with a substantial part of research focusing on deficits in facial emotion recognition. Studies have shown that facial emotion recognition is crucial for social interaction, and schizophrenic patients often demonstrate significant impairments in this area. Prior research primarily concentrated on schizophrenic patients themselves, with less attention given to their first-degree relatives. This study investigates the ability to recognize negative facial expressions among schizophrenic spectrum patients (paranoid and non-paranoid), their siblings, and healthy controls. The innovation of this study lies in its comparative analysis of facial expression recognition abilities across paranoid and non-paranoid schizophrenic patients, their siblings, and healthy individuals, highlighting the potential trait-related underpinnings of these abilities within family lines. The research employed a cross-sectional comparative method, using convenience sampling at Razi Hospital in Tabriz, Iran. The sample included paranoid and non-paranoid schizophrenic patients, their siblings were categorized similarly and matched healthy controls. The Ekman 60 Faces Test was utilized to assess the recognition of basic facial emotions. The findings indicate significant differences in recognizing negative facial expressions among the groups. Paranoid schizophrenic patients demonstrated an inferior ability to identify negative emotions compared to non-paranoid schizophrenic patients and their siblings. This study contributes to the understanding of social cognition deficits in schizophrenia, suggesting that the ability to recognize negative facial expressions may be influenced by both the state and traits related to the disorder.