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Network analysis of discrete emotional states measured via ecological momentary assessment in schizophrenia

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Abstract

Prior studies demonstrate that schizophrenia (SZ) is associated with abnormalities in positive and negative emotional experience that predict clinical presentation. However, it is unclear whether specific discrete emotions within the broader positive/negative categories are driving those symptom associations. Further, it is also unclear whether specific emotions contribute to symptoms in isolation or via networks of emotional states that dynamically interact across time. The current study used network analysis to evaluate temporally dynamic interactions among discrete emotional states experienced in the real world as assessed via Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). Participants included 46 outpatients with chronic SZ and 52 demographically matched healthy controls (CN) who completed 6 days of EMA that captured reports of emotional experience and symptoms derived from monetary surveys and geolocation based symptom markers of mobility and home location. Results indicated that less dense emotion networks were associated with greater severity of negative symptoms, whereas more dense emotion networks were associated with more severe positive symptoms and mania. Additionally, SZ evidenced greater centrality for shame, which was associated with greater severity of positive symptoms. These findings suggest that positive and negative symptoms are associated with distinct profiles of temporally dynamic and interactive emotion networks in SZ. Findings have implications for adapting psychosocial therapies to target specific discrete emotional states in the treatment of positive versus negative symptoms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 125 Baldwin St., Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Gregory P. Strauss, Ian M. Raugh & Lauren Luther

  2. Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Farnaz Zamani-Esfahlani

  3. Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA

    Hiroki Sayama

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  1. Gregory P. Strauss
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  2. Farnaz Zamani-Esfahlani
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  5. Hiroki Sayama
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Correspondence to Gregory P. Strauss.

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Conflict of interest

Dr. Gregory Strauss is one of the original developers of the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) and receives royalties and consultation fees from Medavante-ProPhase LLC in connection with commercial use of the BNSS and other professional activities; these fees are donated to the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. Dr. Strauss has received honoraria and travel support from Medavante-ProPhase LLC for training pharmaceutical company raters on the BNSS. In the past 2 years, Dr. Strauss has consulted for and/or been on the speaker bureau for Minerva Neurosciences, Acadia, Lundbeck, Sunovion, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Otsuka pharmaceutical companies. All other authors have no relevant disclosures to report.

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Strauss, G.P., Zamani-Esfahlani, F., Raugh, I.M. et al. Network analysis of discrete emotional states measured via ecological momentary assessment in schizophrenia. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 273, 1863–1871 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-023-01623-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-023-01623-9

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