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Is Emotional Intelligence Impaired in Unaffected Siblings of Patients with Schizophrenia?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2017

Beatrice Frajo-Apor Open the ORCID record for Beatrice Frajo-Apor [Opens in a new window] ,
Georg Kemmler ,
Silvia Pardeller ,
Markus Huber ,
Christian Macina ,
Anna-Sophia Welte  and
Alex Hofer
Beatrice Frajo-Apor*
Affiliation:
Medical University Innsbruck; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Division of Psychiatry I, Innsbruck, Austria
Georg Kemmler
Affiliation:
Medical University Innsbruck; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Division of Psychiatry I, Innsbruck, Austria
Silvia Pardeller
Affiliation:
Medical University Innsbruck; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Division of Psychiatry I, Innsbruck, Austria
Markus Huber
Affiliation:
General Hospital Brunico, Department of Psychiatry, Brunico, Italy
Christian Macina
Affiliation:
General Hospital Brunico, Department of Psychiatry, Brunico, Italy
Anna-Sophia Welte
Affiliation:
Medical University Innsbruck; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Division of Psychiatry I, Innsbruck, Austria
Alex Hofer
Affiliation:
Medical University Innsbruck; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Division of Psychiatry I, Innsbruck, Austria
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Beatrice Frajo-Apor, Medical University Innsbruck, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Anichstr. 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria. E-mail: beatrice.frajo-apor@i-med.ac.at
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Abstract

Objectives: Social cognitive deficits have been discussed to be endophenotypes for schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses. The current study aimed to assess emotional intelligence (EI) in unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients to investigate its potential role as endophenotype for schizophrenia. Methods: EI was measured in 56 schizophrenia patients, 57 unaffected siblings, and 127 healthy control subjects by using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). In addition, non-social cognition was assessed with the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). Linear mixed models with compound symmetric correlation structure were used for of the three groups with respect to EI and non-social cognition. Results: Schizophrenia patients showed significantly lower overall EI and performed significantly worse in three out of four MSCEIT branches compared to unaffected siblings and control subjects, whereas the two latter groups had comparable EI levels. Similar performance patterns (patients<unaffected siblings=control subjects) were found with respect to non-social cognition. Solely in the “Tower of London” test, siblings achieved significantly lower task scores compared to control subjects. Conclusions: Based on our results, EI as measured with the MSCEIT does not seem to represent a marker of risk for schizophrenia. Further investigations should concentrate on other EI measures to reassess this finding. (JINS, 2017, 23, 577–583)

Keywords

EndophenotypeEmotionCognitionFamilyPsychotic disorderAffect
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 23 , Issue 7 , August 2017 , pp. 577 - 583
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2017 

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