The relationship between clinical insight and cognitive and affective empathy and their influence on community functioning in schizophrenia -

Abstract

Schizophrenia remains one of the most challenging psychiatric disorders to understand and treat in spite of decades of investigation and attempts of researchers in the field to bring patients to remission and functionality. Examining aspects such as clinical insight and domains of social cognition, such as cognitive and affective empathy are novel attempts at understanding and improving functioning in the community for individuals with schizophrenia. This proposal examined the relationship between clinical insight and cognitive and affective empathy in schizophrenia, and the predictive value of each on community functioning. The differences between healthy controls and patients on measures of cognitive and affective empathy were also examined. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design whereby a series of questionnaires and behavioral tasks assessing clinical insight, cognitive and affective empathy, and community functioning were administered to 22 participants with first episode and chronic schizophrenia. Questionnaires and behavioral tasks assessing cognitive and affective empathy were also administered to 21 healthy controls. Clinical insight emerged as a significant predictor of global community functioning, whereas cognitive and affective empathy contributed only to sub-domains of community functioning. Cognitive and affective empathy were both correlated with and predictive of clinical insight. Findings suggest intact affective empathy compared to more compromised cognitive empathic abilities which can be targeted in future psychotherapies to help improve overall insight into their mental illness as well as overall empathic capacities.