The Comparison of Negative Facial Expressions Ability between Schizophrenic Patients (Paranoid / Non-paranoid), their Siblings and Healthy People.

Background and purpose: Schizophrenic patients have many problems related to cognitive domain, particularly social cognition. Recent research assesses the ability to recognize negative facial expressions in schizophrenic patients (paranoid/non-paranoid) in comparison with their siblings and healthy people. Materials and methods: In this causal-correlational research, 15 paranoid and 15 non-paranoid schizophrenics, 30 siblings, and 30 healthy people were selected based on convenience sampling. They were tested by facial expression diagnostic test including 14 pictures. The data were analyzed through multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results: The findings showed that non-paranoid schizophrenic patients were less able to diagnose the negative facial expressions in comparison with their siblings (P<0.001), while no significant differences were found between paranoid schizophrenics' performance and their siblings. There was significant difference between the ability of the siblings of non-paranoid schizophrenics in comparison with that of the healthy people. Conclusion: It can be inferred that inability in the recognition of facial expressions is a cognitive deficit that intensifies the negative symptoms of schizophrenia disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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