Cognitive emotion regulation in patients with schizophrenia: Evidence for effective reappraisal and distraction. Issue 1 (30th September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Grezellschak, Sarah; Lincoln, Tania M.; Westermann, Stefan
• Is Part Of: Psychiatry research. Volume 229:Issue 1/2(2015)
• Page Start: 434
• Page End: 439
• Publication Date: 2015-09-30
• Subjects: Reappraisal -- Schizophrenia -- Psychosis -- Emotion Regulation -- CBT; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- periodicals; Psychiatrie -- Périodiques; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.05.103
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0165-1781

Abstract

Abstract: Negative emotions trigger psychotic symptoms, according to a growing body of evidence. Thus, there is a need for effective emotion regulation in schizophrenia. Reappraisal is an effective, cognitive emotion regulation strategy in healthy individuals. However, it is an open research question whether individuals with schizophrenia have difficulties in successfully applying reappraisal. This study experimentally tests the efficacy of reappraisal compared to distraction in patients with schizophrenia and non-clinical controls. An experimental design with group as between-subject factor (non-clinical controls versus patients with schizophrenia) and emotion regulation during anxiety induction as within-subject factor (reappraisal, distraction, no regulation). Seventeen patients with schizophrenia and 27 healthy participants were instructed to respond to anxiety-inducing stimuli by either using reappraisal, distraction or by just watching. Both reappraisal and distraction were effective in down-regulating anxiety, compared to no regulation. The main effect of group and the interaction of emotion regulation condition and group were not significant indicating that the efficacy of both cognitive emotion regulation strategies was independent of group. Patients with schizophrenia are able to apply reappraisal successfully under experimental conditions. Conclusions are limited by the small sample size of this pilot study. Clinical implications for cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis are discussed. Highlights: The study investigated the ability of patients with schizophrenia for cognitive emotion regulation strategies under experimental settings. Our results indicate that patients with schizophrenia are able to apply reappraisal and distraction in an experimental setting successfully. There are also hints in the data that patients with schizophrenia have a higher stress reactivity than healthy controls.