Emotional Memory and Emotional Intelligence of Individuals Diagnosed with Anti-Social Personality Disorder: Experimental Pretest-Posttest Design

BACKGROUND: Aim of current study is to compare Emotional Memory (EM) and Emotional Intelligence (EI) between two groups of healthy people and individuals diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD).

MATERIALS & METHODS: Current study is an experimental pretest-posttest study with case-group and control group, which was conducted between 2014-2015 at Zare Psychiatric hospital (Sari, Mazandaran Province, Iran). Statistical Society of this study was chosen via convenient sampling method; our sample was consisted of 80 individuals (men and women) that were divided into two groups of 40 healthy and 40 patients with APD. Subsequently, they answered to SCID-II (Structured Clinical Interview For DSM Disorders), Baron EQ-I (Emotional Quotient Inventory), WMS (Wechsler Memory Scale) and they looked at Picture Slides (Story). In order to analyze the findings of current study, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, multiple covariance analysis (MANCOVA) and independent t-test were used.

RESULTS: The findings showed that antisocial patients demonstrated lower score EM and EI.

CONCLUSION: Emotional memory of ASPD individuals tends to be less than normal individuals. Furthermore, emotional intelligence of healthy individuals are higher that ASPD patients. It appears plausible that ASPD individuals tend to suffer in remembering their emotions due to their inability to retrieve emotional memories.