Psychopathological dimensions in childhood and adolescent psychoses: a confirmatory factor analytical study

The present study explored psychopathological dimensions in psychoses of children and adolescents and the distribution of demographic and clinical variables across different psychopathological domains. This study included 101 consecutive patients aged 6-18 years who had a DSM-IV psychotic disorder (schizophrenia and related disorders or mood disorders). Exclusion criteria included presence of organicity, substance use disorders, and any other childhood disorder. Psychopathology was assessed with Scales for Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms. Analysis revealed a four-factor model comprising primary negative, secondary negative, manic and paranoid factors. Patients were regrouped into one of the four factors based on their symptomatology. Patients in these four groups differed in education and age of onset and duration of illness. This study confirmed the existence of a factor structure in psychoses of children and adolescents.