Gender differences in empathy and clinical symptoms in chronic schizophrenia patients: a large sample study based on a Chinese Han population.

There are gender differences in the empathy of SCZ patients, with female patients having greater empathy and a correlation with their clinical symptoms. This gender difference may provide potential clinical value for the treatment of SCZ.KEY POINTSFemale SCZ were more likely to empathise than males;Female patients had more severe clinical symptoms than males;There were gender differences in the association between certain specific clinical presentations and empathy.In future studies, it may be useful to investigate gender differences in schizophrenia empathy for the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder.