Comparison of original and revised reinforcement sensitivity theory in clinically-stable schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients

Introduction: The study of personality can help explicate the pathology of psychological disorders. To this end, our study compared the profile of factors from the original (o) and revised (r) reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) of personality in schizophrenia (SC), bipolar disorder (BD) patients, both compared with healthy controls (HC). Method: 34 SC patients, 52 BD patients, and 72 matched HC completed: Yang Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), BAS/BIS scale, and the Jackson-5 scale. Data were analyzed by chi square, independent t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results: SC patients had lower o-BIS, r-BIS and o-BAS, and r-BAS scores than the BD and HC groups. Compared to HC, SC and BD patients had higher Freeze and Fight scores. Depression in SC was significantly higher than other two groups; and in BD it was higher than HC. Conclusion: SC, RD, and HC differ on both o-RST and r-RST; however, the more nuanced knowledge from r-RST may be helpful in the diagnosis, etiology and psychotherapy.