Converging evidence suggests that psychosis exists on a continuum, and that even mentally “healthy” individuals may experience subclinical psychotic experiences. However, little research has examined the subjective and psychological well-being of individuals in the putatively healthy end of the continuum. This study explored the latent profile structure of schizotypy in a non-clinical sample and compared subjective and psychological well-being across schizotypy profiles. Latent profile analysis was conducted on participants’ responses (N=420) to the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences. Six latent profiles emerged: Low Schizotypy, Average, High Schizotypy, High Unusual Experiences (UE), High Introvertive Anhedonia, and High Introvertive Anhedonia/Cognitive Disorganization. Individuals in the profile characterized by high UE without negative, disorganized or impulsive features tended to endorse similar levels of well-being as the Average and Low Schizotypy profiles. With some exceptions, all three profiles also demonstrated significantly greater subjective and psychological well-being when compared to negative/disorganized schizotypy profiles. The UE profile most closely aligns with previous conceptualizations of “healthy schizotypy.” Future research should investigate how individuals in this profile make sense of unusual or ambiguous experiences that may lead to distress in clinical populations.

Mindfulness-based interventions are gaining empirical support as alternative or adjunctive treatments for a variety of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. Emerging evidence now suggests that mindfulness-based treatments may also improve clinical features of schizophrenia, including negative symptoms. However, no research has examined the construct of mindfulness and its correlates in schizophrenia. In this study, we examined self-reported mindfulness in patients (n=35) and controls (n=25) using the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. We examined correlations among mindfulness, negative symptoms, and psychological constructs associated with negative symptoms and adaptive functioning, including motivation, emotion regulation, and dysfunctional attitudes. As hypothesized, patients endorsed lower levels of mindfulness than controls. In patients, mindfulness was unrelated to negative symptoms, but it was associated with more adaptive emotion regulation (greater reappraisal) and beliefs (lower dysfunctional attitudes). Some facets of mindfulness were also associated with self-reported motivation (behavioral activation and inhibition). These patterns of correlations were similar in patients and controls. Findings from this initial study suggest that schizophrenia patients may benefit from mindfulness-based interventions because they (a) have lower self-reported mindfulness than controls and (b) demonstrate strong relationships between mindfulness and psychological constructs related to adaptive functioning.

No abstract

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have been associated with shared and distinct emotion processing abnormalities. Initial findings indicate that these disorders differ with respect to the domain of emotional intelligence (EI). Individuals with schizophrenia display deficits on performance measures of EI, whereas those with bipolar disorder do not. However, no research has examined patients’ subjective beliefs about their own EI (referred to as “perceived EI”). This study examined perceived EI, assessed with the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS), and its clinical and functional correlates in outpatients with schizophrenia (n = 35) or bipolar disorder I (n = 38) and matched healthy controls (n = 35). The TMMS includes three subscales that assess beliefs about one’s ability to attend to (Attention to Feelings), understand (Clarity of Feelings), and repair emotions (Mood Repair). Participants in the clinical groups also completed community functioning and symptom assessments. Both clinical groups reported significantly lower perceived EI than controls, but did not differ from each other. Higher total TMMS correlated with higher levels of independent living in the schizophrenia group (r = .36) and better social functioning in the bipolar group (r = .61). In addition, although higher Attention to Feelings scores correlated with greater psychiatric symptoms in the schizophrenia group, higher scores across all subscales correlated with less manic symptoms in the bipolar group. The findings suggest that perceived EI is impaired and related to community functioning in both disorders.