Association of stigma resistance with emotion regulation — Functional magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological findings

Abstract Backgroud Personal characteristics contribute to whether negative attitudes in society are internalized as deteriorating self-stigma. Studies in healthy subjects suggest that resilience is associated with the regulation of amygdala activation by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but litt...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Comprehensive psychiatry 2014-04, Vol.55 (3), p.727-735
Main Authors: Raij, Tuukka T, Korkeila, Jyrki, Joutsenniemi, Kaisla, Saarni, Samuli I, Riekki, Tapani J.J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Association
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - physiopathology
Colds
Comorbidity
Emotions - physiology
Female
Humans
Illnesses
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medical sciences
Memory
Mental disorders
Neuropsychological Tests
Neurosciences
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Quality of life
Resilience, Psychological
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - physiopathology
Schizophrenic Psychology
Social Stigma
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Backgroud Personal characteristics contribute to whether negative attitudes in society are internalized as deteriorating self-stigma. Studies in healthy subjects suggest that resilience is associated with the regulation of amygdala activation by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but little is known about the factors that contribute to individual stigma resistance in psychiatric patients. Methods We assessed stigma (by measuring association strengths between social inferiority and schizophrenia by an implicit association test) in 20 patients with schizophrenia and in 16 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. The brain activation strengths were measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging during evaluation of schizophrenia-related statements and of control statements. Results Association strengths between social inferiority and schizophrenia were inversely related to the strength of the activation of the rostro-ventral mPFC. This inverse correlation survived adjustment for global functioning, depression symptom scores, and insight. Activation of the rostro-ventral mPFC was negatively correlated with activation of the amygdala. The association strengths between social inferiority and schizophrenia correlated with the compromised performance in a Stroop task, which is a measure of cognitive regulation. Discussion Our findings suggest that individual stigma resistance is associated with emotion regulation. These findings may help to understand better stigma resistance and thereby aid the development of patient interventions that add to the public anti-stigma work in reducing devastating effects of stigma.
ISSN:0010-440X
1532-8384
DOI:10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.10.010