Confirmation of a Two-Factor Solution to the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy in a French Population of Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
Front. Psychiatry. 2019-10-25; 10:
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00751
Read on PubMed
1. Front Psychiatry. 2019 Oct 25;10:751. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00751.
eCollection 2019.
Confirmation of a Two-Factor Solution to the Questionnaire of Cognitive and
Affective Empathy in a French Population of Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum
Disorders.
Brunet-Gouet E(1)(2)(3), Myszkowski N(4)(5), Ehrminger M(3), Urbach M(1)(2)(3),
Aouizerate B(1)(6), Brunel L(1)(7), Capdevielle D(1)(8), Chereau I(1)(9),
Dubertret C(1)(10), Dubreucq J(1)(11), Fond G(1)(12), Lançon C(1)(13), Leignier
S(1)(11), Mallet J(1)(8), Misdrahi D(1)(14), Pires S(1)(9), Schneider P(1)(15),
Schurhoff F(1)(7), Yazbek H(1)(8), Zinetti-Bertschy A(1)(15), Bazin N(1)(2)(3),
Passerieux C(1)(2)(3), Zenasni F(5), Roux P(3)(2)(1).
Author information:
(1)FondaMental Foundation, Créteil, France.
(2)Department of Adult Psychiatry, Versailles Hospital, Le Chesnay, France.
(3)HandiRESP Laboratory, EA4047, Health Sciences Department Simone Veil,
University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines, Montigny-le-Bretonneux,
France.
(4)Department of Psychology, Pace University, New York, NY, United States.
(5)Laboratoire Adaptations Travail-Individu, Université Paris Descartes,
Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
(6)Department of Adult Psychiatry, Charles Perrens Hospital, F-33076 Bordeaux,
France; Laboratory of Nutrition and Integrative Neurobiology (UMR INRA 1286),
University of Bordeaux, France.
(7)INSERM U955, Translational Psychiatry Team; AP-HP Mondor University Hospital,
DHU Pe-PSY, Schizophrenia Expert Center, Creteil, France.
(8)University Department of Adult Psychiatry, Hospital La Colombière, CHU
Montpellier, France; INSERM, Univ Montpellier, Neuropsychiatry: Epidemiological
and Clinical Research, Montpellier, France; University of Montpellier,
Montpellier, France.
(9)CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Service de Psychiatrie B, Université Clermont Auvergne,
Clermont-Ferrand, France.
(10)AP-HP; Department of Psychiatry, Louis Mourier Hospital, Colombes, France;
Inserm UMR1266, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, University
Paris Descartes, France; Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté
de Médecine, France.
(11)Psychosocial Rehabilitation Reference Centre, Alpes Isère Hospital,
Grenoble, France.
(12)La Conception Hospital, AP-HM, Aix-Marseille Univ, School of Medicine – La
Timone Medical Campus, EA 3279: CEReSS – Health Service Research and Quality of
Life Center, Marseille, France.
(13)Ste Marguerite Hospital, AP-HM, Aix-Marseille Univ, School of Medicine – La
Timone Medical Campus, EA 3279: CEReSS – Health Service Research and Quality of
Life Center, Marseille, France.
(14)Department of Adult Psychiatry, Charles Perrens Hospital, F-33076 Bordeaux;
University of Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5287-INCIA, Bordeaux, France.
(15)University Hospital of Strasbourg, Department of Psychiatry, Strasbourg,
France; University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France; Inserm U1114, Strasbourg,
France.
The Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) is a tool for
self-assessing the cognitive and emotional components of empathy. A study showed
that a two-factor model fits the data of patients with schizophrenia, whereas
other reports on healthy subjects have suggested a five-factor decomposition. We
aimed to replicate the model of Horan et al. in a French population with
schizophrenia spectrum disorders (i.e., schizophrenia and schizoaffective
disorders) participating in the EVACO Study (NCT02901015). In total, 133
patients were assessed with the QCAE, the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale
(PANSS), the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP), and the Self rating
Quality of Life Scale (S-QoL). The two-factor model demonstrated an adequate fit
with the data, comparable to that reported by Horan et al. Males scored higher
on the Affective subscore than females. After correction for multiple tests,
psychopathology (PANSS) and functioning (PSP) did not correlate significantly
with the QCAE subscores. However, quality of life (S-QoL) correlated positively
with the Emotional Contagion subscore. Thus, the variability of empathetic
disposition in schizophrenia may be considered through the cognitive versus
affective dichotomy and properly investigated with the QCAE. The results support
further investigation of the relationship between QCAE scores and subjective
outcome measurements, such as quality of life, and emphasize the importance of
cross-cultural comparisons.
Copyright © 2019 Brunet-Gouet, Myszkowski, Ehrminger, Urbach, Aouizerate,
Brunel, Capdevielle, Chereau, Dubertret, Dubreucq, Fond, Lançon, Leignier,
Mallet, Misdrahi, Pires, Schneider, Schurhoff, Yazbek, Zinetti-Bertschy, Bazin,
Passerieux, Zenasni and Roux.
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00751
PMCID: PMC6823714
PMID: 31708814