Revealing the Unseen: Detecting Negative Symptoms in Students

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Mental Health Screening
• Student Well-being

Background:

• Negative symptoms (NS) are transnosographic, aiding detection of various psychiatric conditions.
• Students, particularly those not seeking help, represent a key population for early mental health assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of NS in screening for ultra-high risk of psychosis (UHR) and depressive symptoms among non-help-seeking students.
• To identify prevalent NS and their association with cannabis use in this population.

Main Methods:

• An online survey administered to 2128 students.
• Utilized Self-evaluation of Negative Symptoms (SNS), Prodromal Questionnaire 16 (PQ-16), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST).

Main Results:

• 17.2% of students met criteria for UHR and/or depression.
• An SNS score of 13 demonstrated 79.8% sensitivity and 70.6% specificity for identifying this subgroup.
• The amotivational dimension of NS was prevalent and correlated with cannabis use.

Conclusions:

• Early identification of NS in students is crucial for detecting prodromal and depressive symptoms.
• This screening approach can facilitate early intervention, potentially preventing chronic mental health disorders.
• Amotivational NS are significant in this population and linked to cannabis consumption.