統合失調症患者における対称性選好と精神症状との関連について

Symmetry Preference and Psychiatric Symptoms in Patients with Schizophrenia

抄録　統合失調症患者の描画特徴の1つに，対称性がある。そこで本研究では，さまざまな比率で作成された7種類の図形を呈示し，最もきれいだと思われる任意の位置に，1本の垂直線あるいは水平線を描くという図形分割課題を用いて，統合失調症患者の対称性選好について調べた。その結果，さまざまな比率で作成された図形，分割線の方向など，いずれの点から検討しても，統合失調症患者は健常者と比較して対称性を選好する頻度が高いことが明らかになった。統合失調症患者の対称性選好には陰性症状や陽性症状と正の関連が，一方，総合精神病理尺度とは負の関連が認められた。今後，総合精神病理得点について，より詳細に検討を加えていきたい。

　Symmetry is one of the characteristics of drawing displayed by patients with schizophrenia. In this study, we investigated the symmetry preference of patients with schizophrenia using a figure-dividing task in which the patient was presented with seven types of figures produced at various ratios and asked to draw one horizontal line or vertical line at any position that seemed the most suitable. The results revealed that schizophrenia patients prefer symmetry more frequently than healthy individuals even when we examined all the aspects of the drawing, including the ratios at which the figures were produced and the direction of the dividing line. Symmetry preference in patients with schizophrenia was positively associated with negative and positive symptoms, while it was negatively associated with the overall severity of the illness. The overall psychopathological evaluation score consists of various sub-items, and thus, further detailed examination is necessary.