IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks :: Browsing by Author "Myers, Evan J."

Browsing by Author "Myers, Evan J."

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Differential Risk: Gender and Racial Differences in the Relationship between Trauma, Discrimination, and Schizotypy
(MDPI, 2024-04-25) Monette, Mahogany A.; Russell, Madisen T.; Abel, Danielle B.; Lewis, Jarrett T.; Mickens, Jessica L.; Myers, Evan J.; Hricovec, Megan M.; Cicero, David C.; Wolny, J.; Hetrick, William P.; Masucci, Michael D.; Cohen, Alex S.; Burgin, Christopher J.; Kwapil, Thomas R.; Minor, Kyle S.; Psychology, School of Science
Traumatic experiences are associated with increased experiences of positive schizotypy. This may be especially important for People of Color, who experience higher rates of trauma and racial discrimination. No study to date has examined how racial disparities in traumatic experiences may impact schizotypy. Furthermore, of the studies that have examined the relationship between trauma and schizotypy, none have examined racial discrimination as a potential moderator. The present study examined if racial discrimination moderates the relationship between trauma and multidimensional (positive, negative, and disorganized) schizotypy. In a sample of 770 college students, we conducted chi-squared analyses, analyses of variance, and stepwise regressions. We found that Black students experienced significantly higher racial discrimination and trauma than Latinx and Asian students. Furthermore, Black and Latinx students experienced significantly more multidimensional schizotypy items than Asian students. Trauma and racial discrimination explained 8 to 23% of the variance in each dimension of schizotypy. Racial discrimination did not moderate the relationships between trauma and multidimensional schizotypy. Our findings suggest that we need to examine risk factors that may prevent recovery from psychotic disorders. Additionally, disorganized schizotypy showed the most robust associations and may be a critical site of intervention.
Disorganized Speech and Metacognition in Schizophrenia: Differential Relations and a Comparison of Behavioral Speech Measures
(2021-08) Myers, Evan J.; Minor, Kyle S.; Salyers, Michelle P.; Lysaker, Paul H.
Disorganized speech is a core feature of schizophrenia. It is a key component of formal thought disorder (FTD). Recent work has tied disorganized speech to deficits in metacognition, or one’s ability to integrate experiences to form complex mental representations. In this study, we aimed to 1) explore the relationship between disorganized speech and metacognition and 2) compare trained rater and emerging automated analysis methods. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Indiana Psychiatric Illness Interviews (IPII) were conducted; the IPII was coded for disorganized speech using the Communication Disturbances Index (CDI) and Coh-Metrix multidimensional indices. Metacognition was rated using the Metacognition Assessment Scale. We compared FTD (n = 16; PANSS conceptual disorganization ≥ 3) and non-FTD (n = 29; PANSS conceptual disorganization < 3) groups on metacognition and examined CDI and Coh-Metrix’s ability to account for variance in metacognition. We hypothesized that the FTD group would have lower metacognition and that both CDI and Coh-Metrix would account for significant variance in metacognition. Analyses indicated metacognition did not differ between groups and neither measure accounted for significant variance in metacognition. Results also showed that the CDI was able to distinguish the groups. Overall, results suggest little relationship between FTD and metacognition. Findings also indicate that trained rater measures of disorganized speech may have clinical utility in classifying FTD. Future research examining these constructs should address important limitations of this study by ensuring adequate levels of FTD in the study sample and by assessing neurocognition.
Do People With Schizophrenia Enjoy Social Activities as Much as Everyone Else? A Meta-analysis of Consummatory Social Pleasure
(Oxford University Press, 2023) Abel, Danielle B.; Rand, Kevin L.; Salyers, Michelle P.; Myers, Evan J.; Mickens, Jessica L.; Minor, Kyle S.; Psychology, School of Science
Background: The "emotion paradox" of schizophrenia suggests people with schizophrenia demonstrate deficits when reporting anticipated and retrospective pleasure; yet, in-the-moment, consummatory pleasure is largely intact. It is uncertain how these findings extend to social situations. This meta-analysis aimed to (1) determine the mean difference in consummatory social pleasure between people with schizophrenia and healthy controls, and (2) examine moderators of this effect, including study design and clinical characteristics of participants. Design: A literature search using PsycINFO, Web of Science, Pubmed, and EMBASE databases was conducted. Studies measuring consummatory social pleasure using experience sampling methods and laboratory social simulations were included. Random effects meta-analyses were conducted using Hedge's g. Results: Meta-analysis of 26 studies suggests people with schizophrenia exhibited a small, significant deficit in consummatory social pleasure (g = -0.38, 90% CI [-0.53, -0.22]). There was significant heterogeneity in effect sizes; magnitude was moderated by study design and type of measure used to assess social pleasure. Conclusions: Overall, people with schizophrenia seem to exhibit less consummatory social pleasure than controls. However, this deficit is smaller than in studies of anticipated and retrospective pleasure. Thus, consummatory social pleasure may not be quite as impaired in people with schizophrenia as traditional anhedonia research suggests. Moreover, pleasure deficits observed in people with schizophrenia may result from differences in the quality of their daily social experiences rather than differences in their capacity for social pleasure. Results have important implications for clinical interventions that address barriers to social engagement, low-pleasure beliefs, and cognitive remediation to treat schizophrenia.
Emergence of Language Related to Self-experience and Agency in Autobiographical Narratives of Individuals With Schizophrenia
(Oxford University Press, 2023) Chan, Chi C.; Norel, Raquel; Agurto, Carla; Lysaker, Paul H.; Myers, Evan J.; Hazlett, Erin A.; Corcoran, Cheryl M.; Minor, Kyle S.; Cecchi, Guillermo A.; Psychology, School of Science
Background and hypothesis: Disturbances in self-experience are a central feature of schizophrenia and its study can enhance phenomenological understanding and inform mechanisms underlying clinical symptoms. Self-experience involves the sense of self-presence, of being the subject of one's own experiences and agent of one's own actions, and of being distinct from others. Self-experience is traditionally assessed by manual rating of interviews; however, natural language processing (NLP) offers automated approach that can augment manual ratings by rapid and reliable analysis of text. Study design: We elicited autobiographical narratives from 167 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SZ) and 90 healthy controls (HC), amounting to 490 000 words and 26 000 sentences. We used NLP techniques to examine transcripts for language related to self-experience, machine learning to validate group differences in language, and canonical correlation analysis to examine the relationship between language and symptoms. Study results: Topics related to self-experience and agency emerged as significantly more expressed in SZ than HC (P < 10-13) and were decoupled from similarly emerging features such as emotional tone, semantic coherence, and concepts related to burden. Further validation on hold-out data showed that a classifier trained on these features achieved patient-control discrimination with AUC = 0.80 (P < 10-5). Canonical correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between self-experience and agency language features and clinical symptoms. Conclusions: Notably, the self-experience and agency topics emerged without any explicit probing by the interviewer and can be algorithmically detected even though they involve higher-order metacognitive processes. These findings illustrate the utility of NLP methods to examine phenomenological aspects of schizophrenia.
Metacognitive Beliefs and Metacognitive Capacity: Do They Assess Related Phenomena?
(Wolters Kluwer, 2023) Ayala, Alexandra; Mickens, Jessica L.; Myers, Evan J.; Abel, Danielle B.; Hegwood, Ceouna M.; Davis, Beshaun J.; Lysaker, Paul H.; Minor, Kyle S.; Psychology, School of Science
Metacognition has been defined several ways across different fields. In schizophrenia, two primary approaches to assessing metacognition focus on measuring metacognitive beliefs and metacognitive capacity. The degree of association between these two approaches is unclear. In this pilot study, schizophrenia (n = 39) and control groups (n = 46) were assessed using metacognitive beliefs (Metacognition Questionnaire-30) and metacognitive capacity (Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated) scales. We also examined how these two approaches predicted quality of life. Results showed anticipated differences for metacognitive beliefs, metacognitive capacity, and quality of life when comparing schizophrenia and healthy control groups. However, metacognitive beliefs and metacognitive capacity were not significantly related and only predicted quality of life in the healthy control group. Although preliminary, these findings suggest these two approaches have a limited relationship with one another. Future studies should test these findings in larger samples and focus on examining associations at different levels of metacognitive functioning in those with schizophrenia.
Mild Vs. Moderate: How Behavioral Speech Measures Predict Metacognitive Capacity Across Different Levels of Formal Thought Disorder
(Elsevier, 2023) Myers, Evan J.; Abel, Danielle B.; Hardin, Kathryn L.; Bettis, Robert J.; Beard, Ashlynn M.; Salyers, Michelle P.; Lysaker, Paul H.; Minor, Kyle S.; Psychology, School of Science
Disorganized speech is a key component of formal thought disorder (FTD) in schizophrenia. Recent work has tied disorganized speech to deficits in metacognition, or one’s ability to integrate experiences to form complex mental representations. The level of FTD at which differences in metacognitive capacity emerge remains unclear. Across two studies, using different cut scores to form FTD groups, we aimed to 1) explore the relationship between disorganized speech and metacognition and 2) compare trained rater and automated analysis methods. Clinical interviews were coded for disorganized speech and metacognition using the Communication Disturbances Index (CDI), Coh-Metrix multidimensional indices, and Metacognition Assessment Scale. In Study 1, we examined CDI and Coh-Metrix’s ability to predict metacognition in FTD (n = 16) and non-FTD (n = 29) groups. We hypothesized the FTD group would have lower metacognition and that both CDI and Coh-Metrix would account for significant variance in metacognition. In Study 2, we conducted the same analyses with an independent sample using more stringent FTD cut scores (FTD: n = 23; non-FTD: n = 23). Analyses indicated that at a moderate but not mild cutoff: 1) automated methods differentiated FTD and non-FTD groups, 2) differences in metacognition emerged, and 3) behavioral measures accounted for significant variance (34%) in metacognition. Results emphasize the importance of setting the FTD cutoff at a moderate level and using samples that contain high levels of FTD. Findings extend research linking FTD and metacognition and demonstrate the benefit of pairing trained rater and automated speech measures.
Narrative Forewarnings: A Qualitative Analysis of the Themes Preceding Disorganized Speech in Schizophrenia
(MDPI, 2024-03-06) Bettis, Robert J.; Faith, Laura A.; Beard, Ashlynn M.; Whan, Brailee A.; Hegwood, Ceouna M.; Monette, Mahogany A.; Myers, Evan J.; Linton, Imani S.; Leonhardt, Bethany L.; Salyers, Michelle P.; Minor, Kyle S.; Psychology, School of Science
Disorganized speech is a critical barrier to recovery in schizophrenia, with profound negative impacts on one’s ability to engage with the world. Despite the limited efficacy of existing treatments in addressing disorganization, a qualitative analysis of what leads to disorganization in patient narratives has been lacking. This study addresses this gap through inductive thematic analysis of 30 narrative interviews with individuals with schizophrenia, matched based on whether Formal Thought Disorder (FTD) is present. Through this analysis, we identified four core themes (alienation, interpersonal tension, personal benchmarks, and adverse experiences) and eight subthemes. Our findings suggest that disorganization may serve as a protective mechanism against psychological distress and highlight how the severity of FTD influences these themes. Alienation, particularly due to illness-related stigma, emerged more prominently in those with FTD. The themes of personal benchmarks and interpersonal tension pointed towards a heightened sensitivity to social interactions and self-perception among those with schizophrenia. Adverse experiences, encompassing past challenges, suggest a potential link between trauma and symptom exacerbation. Our qualitative analysis of what themes precede disorganized speech has implications for tailoring psychotherapy. By considering an individual’s specific triggers and level of disorganization, therapy may be more effectively targeted to improve recovery-based outcomes. By identifying themes within patient narratives, this study advances our understanding of the qualitative aspects preceding disorganized speech in schizophrenia, paving the way for more personalized and effective recovery-focused interventions.
Semantic and phonetic similarity of verbal fluency responses in early-stage psychosis
(Elsevier, 2022) Lundin, Nancy B.; Jones, Michael N.; Myers, Evan J.; Breier, Alan; Minor, Kyle S.; Psychology, School of Science
Linguistic abnormalities can emerge early in the course of psychotic illness. Computational tools that quantify similarity of responses in standardized language-based tasks such as the verbal fluency test could efficiently characterize the nature and functional correlates of these disturbances. Participants with early-stage psychosis (n=20) and demographically matched controls without a psychiatric diagnosis (n=20) performed category and letter verbal fluency. Semantic similarity was measured via predicted context co-occurrence in a large text corpus using Word2Vec. Phonetic similarity was measured via edit distance using the VFClust tool. Responses were designated as clusters (related items) or switches (transitions to less related items) using similarity-based thresholds. Results revealed that participants with early-stage psychosis compared to controls had lower fluency scores, lower cluster-related semantic similarity, and fewer switches; mean cluster size and phonetic similarity did not differ by group. Lower fluency semantic similarity was correlated with greater speech disorganization (Communication Disturbances Index), although more strongly in controls, and correlated with poorer social functioning (Global Functioning: Social), primarily in the psychosis group. Findings suggest that search for semantically related words may be impaired soon after psychosis onset. Future work is warranted to investigate the impact of language disturbances on social functioning over the course of psychotic illness.
Stuck Inside: How Social Functioning in Schizophrenia Changed During the COVID-19 Pandemic
(Wolters Kluwer, 2022) Minor, Kyle S.; Myers, Evan J.; Abel, Danielle B.; Mickens, Jessica L.; Ayala, Alexandra; Warren, Kiara K.; Vohs, Jenifer L.; Psychology, School of Science
Social distancing policies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic altered our social interactions. People with schizophrenia, who already exhibit social deficits, may have been disproportionally impacted. In this pilot study, we a) compared prepandemic social functioning to functioning during the pandemic in people with schizophrenia ( n = 21) who had data at both time points; and b) examined if patterns of decline in schizophrenia differed from healthy controls ( n = 21) across a series of repeated-measures analyses of variance. We observed larger declines in social functioning in schizophrenia (η 2 = 0.07, medium effect size) during the pandemic compared with the control group. Between-group declines did not extend to other domains, suggesting that declines are specific to social functioning. Our findings signal that treatments focusing on reconnecting people with schizophrenia to their social networks should be prioritized. Future studies should continue tracking social functioning after the pandemic to illustrate patterns of recovery.

Browsing by Author "Myers, Evan J."

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