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FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION IN GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER AND DEPRESSION: ASSESSING FOR UNIQUE AND COMMON RESPONSES TO EMOTIONS AND NEUTRALITY

Linardatos, Eftihia
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1322539420

Abstract Details

2011, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences.
Facial emotion recognition has a central role in human communication. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) have been associated with deficits in social and interpersonal functioning raising the question as to whether these conditions are also associated with deficits in facial emotion recognition. In addition to being associated with interpersonal difficulties, GAD and MDD overlap substantially at the genotypic and phenotypic level. However, these mental health conditions differ at the cognitive level in that GAD is associated with thoughts revolving around threatening information, whereas thoughts in depression are related to loss, failure, and sadness. These unique cognitive mechanisms may also play a role in the process of facial emotion recognition resulting in differential patterns of responses to facial expressions of emotions for GAD and depression. Although facial emotion recognition has been investigated in MDD, no studies to date have examined this process in GAD. The goals of the present study were threefold: 1) Examine the overall accuracy of facial emotion recognition as well as that for specific emotions in GAD, MDD, and comorbid MDD+GAD, 2) Examine misattributions in facial expression recognition in response to anger, sadness, and neutral expressions in GAD, MDD, and comorbid MDD+GAD, and 3) Investigate the relationship of facial emotion recognition and interpersonal functioning in the context of GAD and MDD. A sample of 90 participants with GAD, MDD, comorbid MDD+GAD, and healthy controls completed a facial emotion recognition task and a battery of self-report measures. The findings did not support a general or specific deficit in facial emotion recognition in MDD and GAD. Further, individuals with MDD and GAD did not differ in their responses to neutral facial expressions nor to other basic emotions. The findings are discussed in the context of future clinical and research directions.
David Fresco, PhD (Advisor)
John Gunstad, PhD (Committee Member)
John Updegraff, PhD (Committee Member)
David Hussey, PhD (Committee Member)
William Kalkhoff, PhD (Committee Member)
Depression; anxiety; facial emotion recognition; interpersonal functioning

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Linardatos, E. (2011). FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION IN GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER AND DEPRESSION: ASSESSING FOR UNIQUE AND COMMON RESPONSES TO EMOTIONS AND NEUTRALITY [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1322539420

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Linardatos, Eftihia. FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION IN GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER AND DEPRESSION: ASSESSING FOR UNIQUE AND COMMON RESPONSES TO EMOTIONS AND NEUTRALITY. 2011. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1322539420.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Linardatos, Eftihia. "FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION IN GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER AND DEPRESSION: ASSESSING FOR UNIQUE AND COMMON RESPONSES TO EMOTIONS AND NEUTRALITY." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1322539420

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.