Negative symptoms in first episode schizophrenia: Results from the “parma early psychosis” program

Abstract

Introduction Identifying distinct dimensions of negative symptoms in First Episode Schizophrenia (FES) might result in a better understanding and treatment of this invalidating symptomatology. Objectives Aim of this study was to examine negative symptom structure in FES patients using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Methods All 147 participants, aged 12–35 years, completed the PANSS and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale. A principal component analysis with varimax rotation was performed to investigate PANSS negative symptom structure in the FES total sample. Results A 2-factor model (i.e. “Expressive Deficits” and “Asociality” dimensions) was identified. Only “Expressive Deficits” domain had a significant negative correlation with baseline GAF score. Conclusions This bipartite solution seems to be adequate to describe the phenomenological variety of negative symptoms experienced by FES individuals at the point of entry in early intervention services. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Keywords

• psychopathology
• negative symptoms
• schizophrénia
• early psychosis