In a newly published research paper, experts at both universities found that turn-taking is disrupted in social interactions involving people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and people with the condition make less use of hand gestures to facilitate speech.

The researchers also found, however, that other people in the conversation unknowingly adapt their communication to compensate – even when they are not aware that someone has schizophrenia.

There has been very little research focused on what actually happens in social interactions when a person has a diagnosis of schizophrenia but others in the group may be unaware of this.

Dr Mary Lavelle from the School of Psychology at Queen’s University led the research alongside Dr Christine Howes from the University of Gothenburg. They used quantitative and qualitive methods along with motion-capture techniques and audio-visual cameras to record conversations between three people – one with schizophrenia and two without (who were unaware of the third’s diagnosis). Among their findings were:

• Turn-taking is disrupted in dialogues involving a person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia
• There are longer gaps, on average, between speech turns in groups containing a person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia
• Fewer hand gestures are used in dialogues involving a person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

But perhaps the most striking finding was that other people in the conversation naturally compensate for these differences – unwittingly.

Dr Lavelle said: “There has been a lack of research on how people with schizophrenia communicate with others in a group setting. As well as offering some insights into communication in schizophrenia, our findings also demonstrate how flexible people in society are in terms of adapting their style of communication to help the conversation flow.”

Schizophrenia is diagnosed in approximately 1% of the population. Difficulty engaging in social interaction is one of the most debilitating aspects of the disorder with significant consequences for the lives of those diagnosed. People with schizophrenia have been proven to suffer lower rates of employment and to have smaller social networks than their peers.

Dr Lavelle added: “The study provides insights into how social deficits are embodied in schizophrenia and the impact this has on real-world conversations. Difficulty in communicating can pose real challenges for people with schizophrenia. It can present issues accessing healthcare, building relationships and living independently.

“The more that we can understand about this, the more we can help people with this condition.”

The research is open-access and has been published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.

Dr Mary Lavelle

School of Psychology

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Inquiries to Una Bradley on u.bradley@qub.ac.uk