Journal of International Psychiatry

【Abstract】 Objective To explore the relationship between empathy ability and social function and executive function in schizophrenics. Methods Fifty patients with schizophrenia and 50 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study, and the Interpersonal Reactivity index-c (IRI-C), psychiatric patients social function rating scale (SSPI), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were used to evaluate the empathy, social function and executive function of all the research object. The differences of all the indexs between the schizophrenia group and the control group were compared, and the correlation between different functional scores of schizophrenic patients were analyzed. Results There were statistically significant differences between the scores of IRI-C, SSPI and WCST in the schizophrenia group and the healthy control group (P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the individual pain (PD) in the IRI-C score in schizophrenic patients was negatively correlated with the F3 factor in the SSPI score (r = -0.304, P <0.05), the total score of IRI-C was negatively correlated with the responses, error responses and continue responses (r=-0.305, -0.235, -0.232, P< 0.05). Conclusion There are extensive empathy deficits, social function and executive dysfunction in schizophrenics, and empathy ability is related to social function and executive function.

【Key words】 Schizophrenia; Empathy; Social function; Executive function