Impaired empathy and increased anger following social exclusion in non-intoxicated opioid users
dc.contributor.author | Carlyle, M | |
dc.contributor.author | Rowley, M | |
dc.contributor.author | Stevens, T | |
dc.contributor.author | Karl, A | |
dc.contributor.author | Morgan, CJA | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2020-01-22T08:57:02Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2019-11-05 | |
dc.description.abstract | Rationale: Social functioning is modulated by the endogenous opioid system. In opioid use disorder, social functioning appears disrupted, but little research has delineated the nature of these deficits and their relationship to acute opioid use. Objectives: The current study aimed to assess both emotional and cognitive empathy, along with subjective and physiological responses to social exclusion in opioid users who were either acutely intoxicated or non-intoxicated from using opioids. Methods: Individuals on an opioid substitution medication (OSM) were divided into ‘intoxicated users’ (had taken their OSM the same day as testing, n = 20) and ‘non-intoxicated users’ (had taken their OSM > 12 h ago, n = 20) and compared with opioid-naïve controls (n = 24). Empathy was assessed using the multifaceted empathy test and self-report questionnaire. Participants also underwent a period of social exclusion (Cyberball Game) and completed measures of mood and physiological responses (salivary cortisol and heart rate). Results: Non-intoxicated users had significantly lower emotional empathy (the ability to experience others’ emotions), as well as greater anger after social exclusion when compared with the intoxicated users and controls. Anger did not change with social exclusion in the intoxicated user group and cortisol levels were lower overall. Conclusions: Reduced ability to spontaneously share the emotions of others was reported in non-intoxicated users, particularly regarding positive emotions. There was some support for the idea of hyperalgesia to social pain, but this was restricted to an enhanced anger response in non-intoxicated users. Equivalent rates of empathy between the intoxicated users and controls could indicate some remediating effects of acute opioids. | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | University of Exeter | en_GB |
dc.identifier.citation | Published online 5 November 2019 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1007/s00213-019-05378-x | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10871/40529 | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_GB |
dc.publisher | Springer Verlag | en_GB |
dc.rights | © The Author(s) 2019. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. | en_GB |
dc.subject | Opioids | en_GB |
dc.subject | Addiction | en_GB |
dc.subject | Empathy | en_GB |
dc.subject | Social pain | en_GB |
dc.subject | Social cognition | en_GB |
dc.subject | Cortisol | en_GB |
dc.title | Impaired empathy and increased anger following social exclusion in non-intoxicated opioid users | en_GB |
dc.type | Article | en_GB |
dc.date.available | 2020-01-22T08:57:02Z | |
dc.identifier.issn | 0033-3158 | |
dc.description | This is the final version. Available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record. | en_GB |
dc.identifier.journal | Psychopharmacology | en_GB |
dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | en_GB |
dcterms.dateAccepted | 2019-10-05 | |
rioxxterms.version | VoR | en_GB |
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate | 2019-10-05 | |
rioxxterms.type | Journal Article/Review | en_GB |
refterms.dateFCD | 2020-01-22T08:51:51Z | |
refterms.versionFCD | VoR | |
refterms.dateFOA | 2020-01-22T08:57:13Z | |
refterms.panel | A | en_GB |
refterms.depositException | publishedGoldOA |
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's licence is described as © The Author(s) 2019. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.