Natasza Żurowska1, Agnieszka Kałwa2, Krystyna Rymarczyk1, Bogusław Habrat3. 1. a Department of Experimental Psychology , Institute of Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Social Sciences and Humanities , Warsaw , Poland. 2. b Department of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry , Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology , Warsaw , Poland. 3. c Department of Prevention and Treatment for Addictions , Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology , Warsaw , Poland.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The study investigates how benzodiazepine (BZD) use and detoxification affects empathy and the recognition and intensity rating of emotional facial expressions. The sample comprised 43 participants in three groups: (1) during detoxification (N = 13), (2) after detoxification (N = 15), (3) a matched control group (N = 15). Clinical subjects were recruited from in-patients of an addiction treatment unit. METHODS: Empathy levels were tested with the Empathy Quotient (EQ-Short). Recognition accuracy and emotion intensity rating were based on a computerised task displaying static and dynamic facial expressions of joy, anger, sadness, and fear. RESULTS: The controls proved more accurate than both experimental groups in identifying facial expressions of negative emotions. Joy recognition proved most accurate overall. Among the clinical subjects, women in particular exhibited an impaired ability to correctly identify negative emotions from facial expressions. Dynamic stimuli were better recognised than static ones albeit only in the experimental groups. No significant differences were found for emotion intensity ratings and EQ scores. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the impaired facial emotion recognition accuracy is not caused by deficits in empathy. No improvement was recorded post-detoxification which may indicate impaired interpersonal functioning among BZD users. Further research is warranted in light of this study's limitations.
INTRODUCTION: The study investigates how benzodiazepine (BZD) use and detoxification affects empathy and the recognition and intensity rating of emotional facial expressions. The sample comprised 43 participants in three groups: (1) during detoxification (N = 13), (2) after detoxification (N = 15), (3) a matched control group (N = 15). Clinical subjects were recruited from in-patients of an addiction treatment unit. METHODS: Empathy levels were tested with the Empathy Quotient (EQ-Short). Recognition accuracy and emotion intensity rating were based on a computerised task displaying static and dynamic facial expressions of joy, anger, sadness, and fear. RESULTS: The controls proved more accurate than both experimental groups in identifying facial expressions of negative emotions. Joy recognition proved most accurate overall. Among the clinical subjects, women in particular exhibited an impaired ability to correctly identify negative emotions from facial expressions. Dynamic stimuli were better recognised than static ones albeit only in the experimental groups. No significant differences were found for emotion intensity ratings and EQ scores. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the impaired facial emotion recognition accuracy is not caused by deficits in empathy. No improvement was recorded post-detoxification which may indicate impaired interpersonal functioning among BZD users. Further research is warranted in light of this study's limitations.
Authors: Helena Garcez; Carina Fernandes; Fernando Barbosa; Mariana R Pereira; Celeste Silveira; João Marques-Teixeira; Ana R Gonçalves Journal: Psychopharmacology (Berl) Date: 2019-11-18 Impact factor: 4.530