[Premorbid adjustment and negative schizophrenic symptoms]

The relationship between premorbid schizoid traits and the positive and negative symptoms assessed by the Andreasen's SANS and SAPS scales was studied in a sample of 115 DSM-III-R schizophrenics. For the assessment of the schizoid traits the abbreviated Philip's scale of premorbid social-personal adjustment was employed. Negative symptoms, excepting the attentional scale, but no positive symptoms were significantly correlated (p < or = .01) with the Philips's scale. These results suggest that the schizoid traits are the behavioral precursors of schizophrenic negative symptoms. The implications of the results for the genetic and vulnerability/stress models of schizophrenia are discussed.