Can Social Anxiety Impact Facial Emotion Recognition in Schizophrenia?

Social anxiety is highly prevalent in individuals with schizophrenia, with studies suggesting rates of 30%. This study aimed at determining if social anxiety is linked to specific emotion recognition deficits and to specific social functioning deficits. A total of 47 participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and receiving outpatient services answered measures of facial recognition (Ekman; Facial Emotion Identification Test), facial discrimination (Facial Emotion Discrimination Test), role-play, social anxiety (Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and Brief Social Phobia Scale), psychiatric symptoms (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale), self-esteem (Self-Esteem Rating Scale-Short Form), and social functioning (Social Functioning Scale).

A systematic review on improving cognition in schizophrenia: which is the more commonly used type of training, practice or strategy learning?

Background: The purpose of this article was to conduct a review of the types of training offered to people with schizophrenia in order to help them develop strategies to cope with or compensate for neurocognitive or sociocognitive deficits.

Methods: We conducted a search of the literature using keywords such as "schizophrenia", "training", and "cognition" with the most popular databases of peer-reviewed journals.

Results: We reviewed 99 controlled studies in total (though nine did not have a control condition).

The impact of attentional training on the salivary cortisol and alpha amylase response to psychosocial stress: importance of attentional control.

Introduction: This study examined the effects of three consecutive days of attentional training on the salivary alpha amylase (sAA), cortisol, and mood response to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The training was designed to elicit faster disengagement of attention away from threatening facial expressions and faster shifts of attention toward positive ones.

Method: Fifty-six healthy participants between the ages of 18 and 30 participated in a double-blind, within-subject experiment.

Mindfulness interventions for psychosis: a meta-analysis.

Background: An increasing number of mindfulness interventions are being used with individuals with psychosis or schizophrenia, but no known meta-analysis has investigated their effectiveness.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness interventions for psychosis or schizophrenia, we conducted an effect-size analysis of initial studies.

Data Sources: A systematic review of studies published in journals or in dissertations in PubMED, PsycINFO or MedLine from the first available date until July 25, 2013.

Mindfulness-based therapy: a comprehensive meta-analysis.

Background: Mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) has become a popular form of intervention. However, the existing reviews report inconsistent findings.

Objective: To clarify these inconsistencies in the literature, we conducted a comprehensive effect-size analysis to evaluate the efficacy of MBT.