The purpose of the present study was to determine sex differences in facial, prosodic, and social context emotional recognition in schizophrenia (SCH). Thirty-eight patients (SCH, 20 females) and 38 healthy controls (CON, 20 females) participated in the study. Clinical scales (BPRS and PANSS) and an Affective States Scale were applied, as well as tasks to evaluate facial, prosodic, and within a social context emotional recognition. SCH showed lower accuracy and longer response times than CON, but no significant sex differences were observed in either facial or prosody recognition. In social context emotions, however, females showed higher empathy than males with respect to happiness in both groups. SCH reported being more identified with sad films than CON and females more with fear than males. The results of this study confirm the deficits of emotional recognition in male and female patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy subjects. Sex differences were detected in relation to social context emotions and facial and prosodic recognition depending on age. 1. Introduction Sex differences in schizophrenia regarding to clinical, neuroanatomical, cognitive, emotional and social domains have been reported (i.e.,[1–6]). With respect to psychopathological characteristics, male patients suffer more acute symptoms than females, with higher prevalence of paranoid symptoms, aggression, and antisocial behavior [7]. The latter, on the other hand, show more affective disorders, such as anxiety and depression [8], as well as sudden changes in appetite, weight, and sexual activity [9]. Schizophrenic females also show a less deteriorative course during the illness [10], a better premorbid adjustment in the social, sexual, and marital domains, and improved outcomes with a higher index of spontaneous remissions and better treatment response than males, probably due to the protector effects of sexual hormones [11–13]. Other authors have pointed out that females are more capable of living independently, while male patients are more used to living in sheltered houses [13]. Furthermore, males present a higher number of hospitalizations and greater deterioration; thus, their outcomes and social reintegration tend to be unfavourable [7]. Some studies have reported sex differences in cognitive functions in schizophrenia [3, 14–16]. Results of these studies suggest that females perform better than males in executive functions, visual working memory, verbal memory, and learning. In this regard, schizophrenic females may be less vulnerable to cognitive deficits than their
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