Racial and Gender Differences in Expressed Emotion and Interpersonal Control in Families of Persons with Schizophrenia

Expressed Emotion (EE) has been shown to be predictive of course or severity in many illnesses, but the studies have been largely of white middle‐class patients. This study examined gender and racial differences in parental EE level and communication patterns between the parent and patient with schi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Family process 1999-12, Vol.38 (4), p.477-496
Main Authors: WUERKER, ANNE K., HAAS, GRETCHEN, BELLACK, ALAN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Affect
Biological and medical sciences
Continental Population Groups
Family - psychology
Family Therapy
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychoses
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenic Psychology
Sex Factors
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Summary:Expressed Emotion (EE) has been shown to be predictive of course or severity in many illnesses, but the studies have been largely of white middle‐class patients. This study examined gender and racial differences in parental EE level and communication patterns between the parent and patient with schizophrenia, using data from the NIMH Treatment Strategies in Schizophrenia study. Dialogues (n = 140) from 54 patient‐parent dyads were coded into the Relational Control Coding System. Resultant data (n = 13,605 sequences) were analyzed with log‐linear models. Results show that the relationship between control and EE level was stronger in African American families compared to Caucasians. Gender differences were as expected, with daughters less competitive and more deferential to their parents. Although the total number of high‐EE parents with daughters was small, patterns in these families showed parents who responded submissively in contrast to the competitive symmetry in families with male patients.
ISSN:0014-7370
1545-5300
DOI:10.1111/j.1545-5300.1999.00477.x