Schizophrenia outpatients' perceptions of their parents: is expressed emotion a factor?

The factors that mediate the association between expressed emotion (EE) and relapse in schizophrenia patients are still unknown. Many researchers hypothesize that interactions with high-EE individuals are stressful for patients, leaving them vulnerable to relapse. It would be useful to investigate whether patients perceive interactions with high-EE parents as stressful. In this study, associations were examined between levels of EE in parents and the types of personal memories patients had about these parents. EE ratings were obtained for both parents of 27 schizophrenia outpatients, and patients were asked to describe "happy, nonstressful" memories and "unhappy, stressful" memories during 2 interviews. Patients recounted fewer nonstressful memories and more stressful memories about high-versus low-EE parents. Implications of these results are discussed.