Do psychosis prodrome onset negative symptoms predict first presentation negative symptoms?

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Negative symptoms are observed during the psychosis prodrome, but their link to treatment-phase negative symptoms is not well understood.
• Investigating the early emergence of negative symptoms is crucial for understanding psychosis progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of psychosis prodrome onset negative symptoms (PONS).
• To assess if PONS predict negative symptoms at the time of first treatment presentation for psychosis.

Main Methods:

• The Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and Beiser Scale were used to evaluate 373 individuals with first-episode psychosis.
• Regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between PONS and negative symptoms, controlling for confounding factors.

Main Results:

• PONS were present in 50.3% of the schizophrenia spectrum group and 31.2% in the non-schizophrenia spectrum group.
• In the schizophrenia spectrum group, PONS significantly predicted experiential negative symptoms at first presentation (adjusted OR=2.40, P=0.027).
• PONS did not predict expressivity symptoms or experiential symptoms in the non-schizophrenia spectrum group.

Conclusions:

• Psychosis prodrome onset negative symptoms are prevalent in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
• PONS are associated with experiential negative symptoms at the initial stage of treatment for psychosis.
• Prospective studies are required to confirm the onset of negative symptoms during the psychosis prodrome.