Emotional Intelligence in Schizophrenia and Bipolar-I- Disorder

Schizophrenia Clinical Trial

Official title:

Emotional Intelligence in Schizophrenia and Bipolar I Disorder: a Comparison Between Patients, Their Siblings, and Healthy Controls

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01998516
• Other study ID #: KLI 366
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: November 12, 2013
• Last updated: September 19, 2017
• Start date: December 2013
• Est. completion date: July 31, 2017

Study information

• Verified date: September 2017
• Source: Medical University Innsbruck
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

Scientific Background

Emotional Intelligence (EI) as a part of social cognition is a rather new area of interest which focuses on personality traits and abilities enabling people to cope with both their own feelings as well as those of others. The "Mayer-Salovey-Caruso-Emotional-Intelligence-Test" (MSCEIT) (1) represents a valid and reliable instrument which exclusively covers the emotional components of social cognition. Recent findings indicate, that social cognitive impairments are useful vulnerability indicators and that EI could be an endophenotype for schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder (BD I). To confirm the endophenotype theory, studies concerning EI in relatives of schizophrenia and bipolar patients are needed. To date, studies on EI in BD patients as well as in first degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia or BD haven`t been conducted yet. Accordingly, the current study focuses on the four categories assessed by the MSCEIT and aims to compare the task performance of patients, their first degree relatives and healthy control subjects. We assume that the task performance of relatives lies between that of patients and controls. The confirmation of this assumption would verify the trait marker hypothesis and could be a next step to identify a heritable endophenotype for schizophrenia and BD.

Hypotheses

Compared to healthy control subjects patients suffering from schizophrenia or BD I show deficits in EI. Siblings of patients with schizophrenia or BD I show deficits in EI and their task performance lies between that of patients and healthy controls. Deficits in EI are more pronounced in schizophrenia patients than in patients with BD I and are more pronounced in siblings of schizophrenia patients than in siblings of patients with BD I. Independently of diagnosis, deficits in EI affect patients' functional and subjective outcomes.

Methods

Emotional Intelligence will be examined using the MSCEIT in patients with schizophrenia, siblings of schizophrenia patients, patients with BD I, siblings of BD I patients and healthy volunteers matched for age, sex, and educational level. Structured clinical interviews according to DSM-IV (M.I.N.I. + SCID II) will be carried out to assure the diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder as well as to detect (comorbid) Axis I and Axis II psychiatric disorders (patients, siblings, control subjects). Functional outcome will be assessed by using the GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning Scale) and the PSP (Personal and Social Performance Scale), subjective quality of life will be examined using the BELP (Berliner Lebensqualiätsprofil). The MWT-B (Multiple choice vocabulary test) will be used to assess premorbid intelligence.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 350
• Est. completion date: July 31, 2017
• Est. primary completion date: December 31, 2016
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 65 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• ICD-10 diagnosis of schizophrenia or BD (verified by Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.)

• Outpatients with stable psychopathology for at least half a year and fixed treatment regimen for at least one month prior to testing

• Age: 18-65 years

• Native German Speakers

• Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Other axis 1 disorder (verified by M.I.N.I.)

• History of organic mental disorder

• Mental Retardation

• Epilepsy

• Pregnancy/breast-feeding

• Unstable and/or severe organ system diseases, e.g. cardiovascular, endocrine, metabolic

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Bipolar I Disorder
• Disease
• Schizophrenia

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Austria	Medical University Innsbruck	Innsbruck

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Medical University Innsbruck	Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Paracelsus Medical University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Austria, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Emotional Intelligence	Assessed with the MSCEIT (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso-Emotional-Intelligence-Test	24 month
Secondary	Quality of Life	Assessed with the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile	24 month