{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T03:11:12Z","timestamp":1760238672371,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,29]],"date-time":"2020-08-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1598659200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behavioral Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In this study, we aim to verify how emotional training can improve empathy and theory of mind (ToM) in patients diagnosed with early onset schizophrenia and Asperger\u2019s syndrome. The study design includes 100 subjects divided into two experimental groups and two control groups. The two experimental groups followed a rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) protocol. The two control groups instead underwent cognitive behavioral psychotherapy training. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied to analyze the difference between the Asperger\u2019s syndrome (AS) and early onset schizophrenia (EOS) groups, pre and post training. Our analysis shows that the AS group improved post emotional training but only when emotions were internalized, as demonstrated by the improvement of the scores in the post-treatment eye test (ET) but not in the emotional quotient (EQ) test. The EOS group instead showed post-training improvement, not only concerning skills leading to internalizing emotions but also in empathy, as demonstrated by the improvement of EQ and Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ) test scores. These scores remained lower than in the control group. Finally, our findings reveal that the value of the treatment was more considerable for the EOS group than for the AS group due to the improvement in first- and second-order ToM skills and an improvement of empathic skills in the first group, followed by the group comprising AS subjects. In the AS group, the treatment only favored the enhancement of first-order ToM skills; however, this improved quality of life and social adaptation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bs10090131","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,30]],"date-time":"2020-08-30T06:06:22Z","timestamp":1598767582000},"page":"131","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Emotional Education in Early Onset Schizophrenia and Asperger\u2019s Syndrome"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2784-2887","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandro","family":"Frolli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"DRC\u2014Disability Research Centre, University of International Studies of Rome, 00147 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5712-2939","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Carla","family":"Ricci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"FINDS\u2014Italian Neuroscience and Developmental Disorders Foundation, 81040 Caserta, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francesco Alberto","family":"Tortorelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SPEE\u2014Specialization School in Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy for Developmental Age Disorders, 80142 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Antonella","family":"Cavallaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SPEE\u2014Specialization School in Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy for Developmental Age Disorders, 80142 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Luana","family":"Valenzano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"FINDS\u2014Italian Neuroscience and Developmental Disorders Foundation, 81040 Caserta, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0641-7347","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Angelo","family":"Rega","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Naples, 80100 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2444-8761","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesca Felicia","family":"Operto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, University of Salerno, 84080 Fisciano, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giulio","family":"Corrivetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ASL (SA), Department of Mental Health, 84122 Salerno, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"American Psychiatric Association (2014). 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