Mental Health News: New study finds that people with schizophrenia scored lower on a wisdom assessment than non-psychiatric comparison participants, and those with higher scores displayed fewer psychotic symptoms.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine hired 65 stable adult outpatients diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia and 96 non-psychiatric comparison participants. All of them completed a three-dimensional wisdom scale that includes measures of cognitive, reflective, and affective (relating to emotion) wisdom.
People with schizophrenia had lower average wisdom than those without the mental disorder, there was considerable variability in levels of wisdom. Those with higher wisdom scores performed better on neurocognitive and functional assessments than those with lower scores.
In short, wisdom positively correlated with performance on multiple neurocognitive tests in schizophrenia patients; no such relationships were detected in non-psychiatric comparison participants.
“In healthy adults, wisdom seems to reduce the negative effects of adverse life events. It boosts a sense of well-being, life satisfaction and overall health,” said first author Ryan Van Patten. “In persons with schizophrenia, wisdom is also connected to levels of happiness, resilience, and subjective recovery,” he said.
The study findings have important implications for designing therapies that promote wise behaviour in schizophrenia patients and can also boost their ability to function in society with greater happiness and satisfaction.
To Know More, You May Refer To:
Van Patten, R., Lee, E. E., Daly, R., Twamley, E., Tu, X. M., & Jeste, D. V. (2019). Assessment of 3-dimensional wisdom in schizophrenia: Associations with neuropsychological functions and physical and mental health. Schizophrenia Research, 208, 360-369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2019.01.022
