UC Berkeley

Critical, intrusive family environments are a predictor of relapse and poor functional outcome in schizophrenia. Reactivity in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) has been proposed as a potential mechanism underlying this link, but little research has examined ANS physiological reactivity in schizophrenia in the context of family interactions. Further, physiological covariation – physiological interdependence between individuals – predicts important relationship and mental health outcomes, yet no work has examined physiological covariation between people with schizophrenia and their family members. The current study investigated physiological reactivity and physiological covariation during a conflict conversation between young adults with schizophrenia (n = 20) and without schizophrenia (n = 29) and their parents. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and inter-beat interval (IBI) were recorded during a 10-minute conversation about an area of conflict in the participants’ relationship. Participants rated relationship qualities and affect, and participants with schizophrenia were rated on symptom severity. Results indicated that young adults with schizophrenia reported higher negative affect after a conflict conversation and had lower average RSA relative to baseline during the conflict conversation compared to young adults without schizophrenia. IBI and RSA covariation were associated with lower parental caring, with the effect of caring on RSA covariation driven by the control group. Within the schizophrenia group, weaker RSA covariation was related to higher negative symptoms. Together, these findings provide novel support for the importance of ANS, particularly PNS, reactivity and covariation in family relationships in people with and without schizophrenia.