Culture and schizophrenia: A cross-ethnic growth curve analysis

This study examined the longitudinal trajectory of a sociocentric construct among African-Americans, Latinos, and nonminorities. Participants were 163 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia who were admitted to community-ba sed psychosocial programs. Previous research had established empathy and so cial competence as sociocentric cultural mediators of a benign symptom prof ile for ethnic minorities. Data on sociocentric indicators were collected e very 6 months for over 3 years. Growth curve methodology was used to examin e the empathy and social competence outcomes over time and across ethnic gr oups. The results revealed a dynamic course for both sociocentric mediators . However, the dynamic growth curve for empathy was related to ethnicity; f or social competence it was not. Empathy levels for African-Americans decre ased and then attenuated, whereas empathy levels for Latinos decreased over the entire study. Nonminorities showed very little change overall. The nat ure of sociocentric phenomena is dynamic and complex. These qualities can a pparently be cultivated or diminished over time.