Adverse childhood experiences, social functioning deficits and comorbid clinical symptoms among individuals with psychotic disorders: A prospective cohort study

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs; e.g., sexual and physical abuse, exposure to intimate partner violence) are significant risk factors for developing psychosis and persistent psychotic disorders. Limited research has explored the influence of ACEs on the social functioning and comorbid clinical symptoms (depression, anxiety, and substance misuse) of individuals with psychotic disorders (PD) throughout their illness. This prospective cohort study aimed to determine whether the social functioning deficits and comorbid clinical symptoms of people with psychotic disorders varied over one year after psychiatric hospital admission, depending on the presence or absence of ACEs. Between 2012 and 2020, data were gathered by the Signature Biobank of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal for individuals hospitalized for psychotic symptoms (N = 970). Self-reported measures were used at four measurement times. Findings from the mixed-effects model for repeated measures revealed lower global social functioning and higher scores of depression, anxiety, and substance misuse over time for the psychotic disorder group with ACEs compared to the psychotic disorder group without ACEs. Implications for psychosis treatment with trauma-informed adaptations are discussed.