1. Dissociate symptoms in adolescents referred to a ultra-high-risk for psychosis early intervention programme.
- Author
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Gago, E., Miñano, M., Perez, S., Serra, P., Pàmias Massana, M., Palao Vidal, D., and Labad, J.
- Subjects
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YOUNG adults , *TEENAGERS , *FISHER exact test , *PSYCHOSES , *SYMPTOMS - Abstract
Introduction: Early identification and follow-up of young people with ultra-high-risk for psychosis (UHR) has become one of the main targets of early intervention programmes. Objectives:We aimed to explore the presence of dissociative symptoms and self-reported trauma exposure in a population of adolescents (<18 years) referred to a UHR Early Intervention Programme. Methods: We studied 77 adolescents (mean age 15.2 year old, 60% males) attending the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Department from Parc Taulí Hospital (Sabadell, Spain) who were referred to the UHR Early Intervention Programme. The Comprehensive Assessment of At Risk Mental States (CAARMS) interview was administered to obtain a UHR diagnosis. Dissociative symptoms were defined by the presence of at least one of the following CAARMS items: depersonalization, derealization and/or perceptual abnormalities. Self-reported exposure to traumatic events was assessed by clinical interview. Fisher's exact test was used to compare categorical variables between diagnostic groups (UHR vs non-UHR). Significance was set at p<0.05 (two-tailed). Results: 27 out of 77 (35%) screened adolescents met UHR criteria. UHR individuals reported more dissociative symptoms than non-UHRsubjects (100%vs 57%, p<0.001). UHR individuals also reported a greater exposure to traumatic events than non-UHR individuals (63% vs 36%, p= 0.03). However, there was a significant prevalence of dissociative symptoms not related to perceived trauma in both groups. Conclusions: Among adolescents who are referred to a UHR programme, those meeting UHR criteria show a greater prevalence of dissociation and exposure to traumatic events. Dissociative symptoms are not necessarily associated with trauma exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020