12 results
Cannabis use as a potential mediator between childhood adversity and first-episode psychosis: results from the EU-GEI case–control study
- Giulia Trotta, Victoria Rodriguez, Diego Quattrone, Edoardo Spinazzola, Giada Tripoli, Charlotte Gayer-Anderson, Tom P Freeman, Hannah E Jongsma, Lucia Sideli, Monica Aas, Simona A Stilo, Caterina La Cascia, Laura Ferraro, Daniele La Barbera, Antonio Lasalvia, Sarah Tosato, Ilaria Tarricone, Giuseppe D'Andrea, Andrea Tortelli, Franck Schürhoff, Andrei Szöke, Baptiste Pignon, Jean-Paul Selten, Eva Velthorst, Lieuwe de Haan, Pierre-Michel Llorca, Paulo Rossi Menezes, Cristina M Del Ben, Jose Luis Santos, Manuel Arrojo, Julio Bobes, Julio Sanjuán, Miquel Bernardo, Celso Arango, James B Kirkbride, Peter B Jones, Alexander Richards, Bart P Rutten, Jim Van Os, Isabelle Austin-Zimmerman, Zhikun Li, Craig Morgan, Pak C Sham, Evangelos Vassos, Chloe Wong, Richard Bentall, Helen L Fisher, Robin M Murray, Luis Alameda, Marta Di Forti, EU-GEI WP2 Group
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 53 / Issue 15 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 May 2023, pp. 7375-7384
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Background
Childhood adversity and cannabis use are considered independent risk factors for psychosis, but whether different patterns of cannabis use may be acting as mediator between adversity and psychotic disorders has not yet been explored. The aim of this study is to examine whether cannabis use mediates the relationship between childhood adversity and psychosis.
MethodsData were utilised on 881 first-episode psychosis patients and 1231 controls from the European network of national schizophrenia networks studying Gene–Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) study. Detailed history of cannabis use was collected with the Cannabis Experience Questionnaire. The Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire was used to assess exposure to household discord, sexual, physical or emotional abuse and bullying in two periods: early (0–11 years), and late (12–17 years). A path decomposition method was used to analyse whether the association between childhood adversity and psychosis was mediated by (1) lifetime cannabis use, (2) cannabis potency and (3) frequency of use.
ResultsThe association between household discord and psychosis was partially mediated by lifetime use of cannabis (indirect effect coef. 0.078, s.e. 0.022, 17%), its potency (indirect effect coef. 0.059, s.e. 0.018, 14%) and by frequency (indirect effect coef. 0.117, s.e. 0.038, 29%). Similar findings were obtained when analyses were restricted to early exposure to household discord.
ConclusionsHarmful patterns of cannabis use mediated the association between specific childhood adversities, like household discord, with later psychosis. Children exposed to particularly challenging environments in their household could benefit from psychosocial interventions aimed at preventing cannabis misuse.
The association between reasons for first using cannabis, later pattern of use, and risk of first-episode psychosis: the EU-GEI case–control study
- Edoardo Spinazzola, Diego Quattrone, Victoria Rodriguez, Giulia Trotta, Luis Alameda, Giada Tripoli, Charlotte Gayer-Anderson, Tom P Freeman, Emma C Johnson, Hannah E Jongsma, Simona Stilo, Caterina La Cascia, Laura Ferraro, Daniele La Barbera, Antonio Lasalvia, Sarah Tosato, Ilaria Tarricone, Giuseppe D'Andrea, Michela Galatolo, Andrea Tortelli, Ilaria Tagliabue, Marco Turco, Maurizio Pompili, Jean-Paul Selten, Lieuwe de Haan, Paulo Rossi Menezes, Cristina M Del Ben, Jose Luis Santos, Manuel Arrojo, Julio Bobes, Julio Sanjuán, Miguel Bernardo, Celso Arango, James B Kirkbride, Peter B Jones, Michael O'Donovan, Bart P Rutten, Jim Van Os, Craig Morgan, Pak C Sham, Isabelle Austin-Zimmerman, Zhikun Li, Evangelos Vassos, EU-GEI WP2 Group, Robin M Murray, Marta Di Forti
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 53 / Issue 15 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 May 2023, pp. 7418-7427
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Background
While cannabis use is a well-established risk factor for psychosis, little is known about any association between reasons for first using cannabis (RFUC) and later patterns of use and risk of psychosis.
MethodsWe used data from 11 sites of the multicentre European Gene-Environment Interaction (EU-GEI) case–control study. 558 first-episode psychosis patients (FEPp) and 567 population controls who had used cannabis and reported their RFUC.
We ran logistic regressions to examine whether RFUC were associated with first-episode psychosis (FEP) case–control status. Path analysis then examined the relationship between RFUC, subsequent patterns of cannabis use, and case–control status.
ResultsControls (86.1%) and FEPp (75.63%) were most likely to report ‘because of friends’ as their most common RFUC. However, 20.1% of FEPp compared to 5.8% of controls reported: ‘to feel better’ as their RFUC (χ2 = 50.97; p < 0.001). RFUC ‘to feel better’ was associated with being a FEPp (OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.03–2.95) while RFUC ‘with friends’ was associated with being a control (OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.37–0.83). The path model indicated an association between RFUC ‘to feel better’ with heavy cannabis use and with FEPp-control status.
ConclusionsBoth FEPp and controls usually started using cannabis with their friends, but more patients than controls had begun to use ‘to feel better’. People who reported their reason for first using cannabis to ‘feel better’ were more likely to progress to heavy use and develop a psychotic disorder than those reporting ‘because of friends’.
Child maltreatment, migration and risk of first-episode psychosis: results from the multinational EU-GEI study
- Giuseppe D'Andrea, Jatin Lal, Sarah Tosato, Charlotte Gayer-Anderson, Hannah E. Jongsma, Simona A. Stilo, Els van der Ven, Diego Quattrone, Eva Velthorst, Domenico Berardi, Paulo Rossi Menezes, Celso Arango, Mara Parellada, Antonio Lasalvia, Caterina La Cascia, Laura Ferraro, Daniele La Barbera, Lucia Sideli, Julio Bobes, Miguel Bernardo, Julio Sanjuán, Jose Luis Santos, Manuel Arrojo, Cristina Marta Del-Ben, Giada Tripoli, Pierre-Michel Llorca, Lieuwe de Haan, Jean-Paul Selten, Andrea Tortelli, Andrei Szöke, Roberto Muratori, Bart P. Rutten, Jim van Os, Peter B. Jones, James B. Kirkbride, Robin M. Murray, Marta di Forti, Ilaria Tarricone, Craig Morgan
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 53 / Issue 13 / October 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 28 October 2022, pp. 6150-6160
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Background
Child maltreatment (CM) and migrant status are independently associated with psychosis. We examined prevalence of CM by migrant status and tested whether migrant status moderated the association between CM and first-episode psychosis (FEP). We further explored whether differences in CM exposure contributed to variations in the incidence rates of FEP by migrant status.
MethodsWe included FEP patients aged 18–64 years in 14 European sites and recruited controls representative of the local populations. Migrant status was operationalized according to generation (first/further) and region of origin (Western/non-Western countries). The reference population was composed by individuals of host country's ethnicity. CM was assessed with Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Prevalence ratios of CM were estimated using Poisson regression. We examined the moderation effect of migrant status on the odds of FEP by CM fitting adjusted logistic regressions with interaction terms. Finally, we calculated the population attributable fractions (PAFs) for CM by migrant status.
ResultsWe examined 849 FEP cases and 1142 controls. CM prevalence was higher among migrants, their descendants and migrants of non-Western heritage. Migrant status, classified by generation (likelihood test ratio:χ2 = 11.3, p = 0.004) or by region of origin (likelihood test ratio:χ2 = 11.4, p = 0.003), attenuated the association between CM and FEP. PAFs for CM were higher among all migrant groups compared with the reference populations.
ConclusionsThe higher exposure to CM, despite a smaller effect on the odds of FEP, accounted for a greater proportion of incident FEP cases among migrants. Policies aimed at reducing CM should consider the increased vulnerability of specific subpopulations.
Use of multiple polygenic risk scores for distinguishing schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and affective psychosis categories in a first-episode sample; the EU-GEI study
- Victoria Rodriguez, Luis Alameda, Diego Quattrone, Giada Tripoli, Charlotte Gayer-Anderson, Edoardo Spinazzola, Giulia Trotta, Hannah E. Jongsma, Simona Stilo, Caterina La Cascia, Laura Ferraro, Daniele La Barbera, Antonio Lasalvia, Sarah Tosato, Ilaria Tarricone, Elena Bonora, Stéphane Jamain, Jean-Paul Selten, Eva Velthorst, Lieuwe de Haan, Pierre-Michel Llorca, Manuel Arrojo, Julio Bobes, Miguel Bernardo, Celso Arango, James Kirkbride, Peter B. Jones, Bart P. Rutten, Alexander Richards, Pak C. Sham, Michael O'Donovan, Jim Van Os, Craig Morgan, Marta Di Forti, Robin M. Murray, Evangelos Vassos
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 53 / Issue 8 / June 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 25 January 2022, pp. 3396-3405
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Background
Schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BD) and depression (D) run in families. This susceptibility is partly due to hundreds or thousands of common genetic variants, each conferring a fractional risk. The cumulative effects of the associated variants can be summarised as a polygenic risk score (PRS). Using data from the EUropean Network of national schizophrenia networks studying Gene-Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) first episode case–control study, we aimed to test whether PRSs for three major psychiatric disorders (SZ, BD, D) and for intelligent quotient (IQ) as a neurodevelopmental proxy, can discriminate affective psychosis (AP) from schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (SSD).
MethodsParticipants (842 cases, 1284 controls) from 16 European EU-GEI sites were successfully genotyped following standard quality control procedures. The sample was stratified based on genomic ancestry and analyses were done only on the subsample representing the European population (573 cases, 1005 controls). Using PRS for SZ, BD, D, and IQ built from the latest available summary statistics, we performed simple or multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for 10 principal components for the different clinical comparisons.
ResultsIn case–control comparisons PRS-SZ, PRS-BD and PRS-D distributed differentially across psychotic subcategories. In case–case comparisons, both PRS-SZ [odds ratio (OR) = 0.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.54–0.92] and PRS-D (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.06–1.61) differentiated AP from SSD; and within AP categories, only PRS-SZ differentiated BD from psychotic depression (OR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.23–3.74).
ConclusionsCombining PRS for severe psychiatric disorders in prediction models for psychosis phenotypes can increase discriminative ability and improve our understanding of these phenotypes. Our results point towards the potential usefulness of PRSs in specific populations such as high-risk or early psychosis phases.
Synergistic effects of childhood adversity and polygenic risk in first-episode psychosis: the EU-GEI study
- Monica Aas, Luis Alameda, Marta Di Forti, Diego Quattrone, Paola Dazzan, Antonella Trotta, Laura Ferraro, Victoria Rodriguez, Evangelos Vassos, Pak Sham, Giada Tripoli, Caterina La Cascia, Daniele La Barbera, Ilaria Tarricone, Roberto Muratori, Domenico Berardi, Antonio Lasalvia, Sarah Tosato, Andrei Szöke, Pierre-Michel Llorca, Celso Arango, Andrea Tortelli, Lieuwe de Haan, Eva Velthorst, Julio Bobes, Miguel Bernardo, Julio Sanjuán, Jose Luis Santos, Manuel Arrojo, Cristina Marta Del-Ben, Paulo Rossi Menezes, Jean-Paul Selten, Peter B. Jones, Hannah E. Jongsma, James B. Kirkbride, Bart P. F. Rutten, Jim van Os, Charlotte Gayer-Anderson, Robin M. Murray, Craig Morgan
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 53 / Issue 5 / April 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 29 September 2021, pp. 1970-1978
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Background
A history of childhood adversity is associated with psychotic disorder, with an increase in risk according to the number of exposures. However, it is not known why only some exposed individuals go on to develop psychosis. One possibility is pre-existing polygenic vulnerability. Here, we investigated, in the largest sample of first-episode psychosis (FEP) cases to date, whether childhood adversity and high polygenic risk scores for schizophrenia (SZ-PRS) combine synergistically to increase the risk of psychosis, over and above the effect of each alone.
MethodsWe assigned a schizophrenia-polygenic risk score (SZ-PRS), calculated from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC2), to all participants in a sample of 384 FEP patients and 690 controls from the case–control component of the EU-GEI study. Only participants of European ancestry were included in the study. A history of childhood adversity was collected using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Synergistic effects were estimated using the interaction contrast ratio (ICR) [odds ratio (OR)exposure and PRS − ORexposure − ORPRS + 1] with adjustment for potential confounders.
ResultsThere was some evidence that the combined effect of childhood adversities and polygenic risk was greater than the sum of each alone, as indicated by an ICR greater than zero [i.e. ICR 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) −1.29 to 3.85]. Examining subtypes of childhood adversities, the strongest synergetic effect was observed for physical abuse (ICR 6.25, 95% CI −6.25 to 20.88).
ConclusionsOur findings suggest possible synergistic effects of genetic liability and childhood adversity experiences in the onset of FEP, but larger samples are needed to increase precision of estimates.
Perceived major experiences of discrimination, ethnic group, and risk of psychosis in a six-country case−control study
- Supriya Misra, Bizu Gelaye, David R. Williams, Karestan C. Koenen, Christina P.C. Borba, Diego Quattrone, Marta Di Forti, Giada Tripoli, Caterina La Cascia, Daniele La Barbera, Laura Ferraro, Ilaria Tarricone, Domenico Berardi, Antonio Lasalvia, Sarah Tosato, Andrei Szöke, Pierre-Michel Llorca, Celso Arango, Andrea Tortelli, Lieuwe de Haan, Eva Velthorst, Julio Bobes, Miguel Bernardo, Julio Sanjuán, Jose Luis Santos, Manuel Arrojo, Cristina Marta Del-Ben, Paulo Rossi Menezes, Jean-Paul Selten, Peter B. Jones, Hannah E. Jongsma, James B. Kirkbride, Bart P.F. Rutten, Jim van Os, Robin M. Murray, Charlotte Gayer-Anderson, Craig Morgan
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 52 / Issue 15 / November 2022
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 March 2021, pp. 3668-3676
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Background
Perceived discrimination is associated with worse mental health. Few studies have assessed whether perceived discrimination (i) is associated with the risk of psychotic disorders and (ii) contributes to an increased risk among minority ethnic groups relative to the ethnic majority.
MethodsWe used data from the European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions Work Package 2, a population-based case−control study of incident psychotic disorders in 17 catchment sites across six countries. We calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the associations between perceived discrimination and psychosis using mixed-effects logistic regression models. We used stratified and mediation analyses to explore differences for minority ethnic groups.
ResultsReporting any perceived experience of major discrimination (e.g. unfair treatment by police, not getting hired) was higher in cases than controls (41.8% v. 34.2%). Pervasive experiences of discrimination (≥3 types) were also higher in cases than controls (11.3% v. 5.5%). In fully adjusted models, the odds of psychosis were 1.20 (95% CI 0.91–1.59) for any discrimination and 1.79 (95% CI 1.19–1.59) for pervasive discrimination compared with no discrimination. In stratified analyses, the magnitude of association for pervasive experiences of discrimination appeared stronger for minority ethnic groups (OR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.12–2.68) than the ethnic majority (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 0.65–3.10). In exploratory mediation analysis, pervasive discrimination minimally explained excess risk among minority ethnic groups (5.1%).
ConclusionsPervasive experiences of discrimination are associated with slightly increased odds of psychotic disorders and may minimally help explain excess risk for minority ethnic groups.
Childhood adversity and psychosis: a systematic review of bio-psycho-social mediators and moderators
- Lucia Sideli, Robin M. Murray, Adriano Schimmenti, Mariangela Corso, Daniele La Barbera, Antonella Trotta, Helen L. Fisher
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- Psychological Medicine / Volume 50 / Issue 11 / August 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 06 July 2020, pp. 1761-1782
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The association between childhood adversity (CA) and psychosis has been extensively investigated in recent years. An increasing body of research has also focused on the mediating or moderating role of biological and psychological mechanisms, as well as other risk factors that might account for the link between CA and psychosis. We conducted a systematic search of the PsychINFO, Embase, Ovid, and Web of Science databases for original articles investigating the role of genetic vulnerabilities, environmental factors, psychological and psychopathological mechanisms in the association between CA and psychosis up to August 2019. We included studies with individuals at different stages of the psychosis continuum, from subclinical psychotic experiences to diagnosed disorders. From the 28 944 records identified, a total of 121 studies were included in this review. Only 26% of the studies identified met the criteria for methodological robustness. Overall, the current evidence suggests that CA may be associated with psychosis largely independently of genetic vulnerabilities. More consistent and robust evidence supports interaction between early and recent adversities, as well as the mediating role of attachment and mood symptoms, which is suggestive of an affective pathway between CA and psychosis across the continuum from subclinical experiences to diagnosable disorder. This review highlighted numerous methodological issues with the existing literature, including selection bias, heterogeneity of measurement instruments utilised, and lack of control for potential confounders. Future research should address these limitations to more accurately estimate mediation and moderation effects on the CA-psychosis association to inform the development of preventive interventions.
Jumping to conclusions, general intelligence, and psychosis liability: findings from the multi-centre EU-GEI case-control study
- Giada Tripoli, Diego Quattrone, Laura Ferraro, Charlotte Gayer-Anderson, Victoria Rodriguez, Caterina La Cascia, Daniele La Barbera, Crocettarachele Sartorio, Fabio Seminerio, Ilaria Tarricone, Domenico Berardi, Andrei Szöke, Celso Arango, Andrea Tortelli, Pierre-Michel Llorca, Lieuwe de Haan, Eva Velthorst, Julio Bobes, Miguel Bernardo, Julio Sanjuán, Jose Luis Santos, Manuel Arrojo, Cristina Marta Del-Ben, Paulo Rossi Menezes, Jean-Paul Selten, EU-GEI WP2 Group, Peter B. Jones, Hannah E Jongsma, James B Kirkbride, Antonio Lasalvia, Sarah Tosato, Alex Richards, Michael O’Donovan, Bart PF Rutten, Jim van Os, Craig Morgan, Pak C Sham, Robin M. Murray, Graham K. Murray, Marta Di Forti
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 51 / Issue 4 / March 2021
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 24 April 2020, pp. 623-633
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Background
The ‘jumping to conclusions’ (JTC) bias is associated with both psychosis and general cognition but their relationship is unclear. In this study, we set out to clarify the relationship between the JTC bias, IQ, psychosis and polygenic liability to schizophrenia and IQ.
MethodsA total of 817 first episode psychosis patients and 1294 population-based controls completed assessments of general intelligence (IQ), and JTC, and provided blood or saliva samples from which we extracted DNA and computed polygenic risk scores for IQ and schizophrenia.
ResultsThe estimated proportion of the total effect of case/control differences on JTC mediated by IQ was 79%. Schizophrenia polygenic risk score was non-significantly associated with a higher number of beads drawn (B = 0.47, 95% CI −0.21 to 1.16, p = 0.17); whereas IQ PRS (B = 0.51, 95% CI 0.25–0.76, p < 0.001) significantly predicted the number of beads drawn, and was thus associated with reduced JTC bias. The JTC was more strongly associated with the higher level of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) in controls, including after controlling for IQ (B = −1.7, 95% CI −2.8 to −0.5, p = 0.006), but did not relate to delusions in patients.
ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the JTC reasoning bias in psychosis might not be a specific cognitive deficit but rather a manifestation or consequence, of general cognitive impairment. Whereas, in the general population, the JTC bias is related to PLEs, independent of IQ. The work has the potential to inform interventions targeting cognitive biases in early psychosis.
Daily use of high-potency cannabis is associated with more positive symptoms in first-episode psychosis patients: the EU-GEI case–control study
- Diego Quattrone, Laura Ferraro, Giada Tripoli, Caterina La Cascia, Harriet Quigley, Andrea Quattrone, Hannah E. Jongsma, Simona Del Peschio, Giusy Gatto, EU-GEI group, Charlotte Gayer-Anderson, Peter B. Jones, James B. Kirkbride, Daniele La Barbera, Ilaria Tarricone, Domenico Berardi, Sarah Tosato, Antonio Lasalvia, Andrei Szöke, Celso Arango, Miquel Bernardo, Julio Bobes, Cristina Marta Del Ben, Paulo Rossi Menezes, Pierre-Michel Llorca, Jose Luis Santos, Julio Sanjuán, Andrea Tortelli, Eva Velthorst, Lieuwe de Haan, Bart P. F. Rutten, Michael T. Lynskey, Tom P. Freeman, Pak C. Sham, Alastair G. Cardno, Evangelos Vassos, Jim van Os, Craig Morgan, Ulrich Reininghaus, Cathryn M. Lewis, Robin M. Murray, Marta Di Forti
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 51 / Issue 8 / June 2021
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 18 March 2020, pp. 1329-1337
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Background
Daily use of high-potency cannabis has been reported to carry a high risk for developing a psychotic disorder. However, the evidence is mixed on whether any pattern of cannabis use is associated with a particular symptomatology in first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients.
MethodWe analysed data from 901 FEP patients and 1235 controls recruited across six countries, as part of the European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) study. We used item response modelling to estimate two bifactor models, which included general and specific dimensions of psychotic symptoms in patients and psychotic experiences in controls. The associations between these dimensions and cannabis use were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models analyses.
ResultsIn patients, there was a linear relationship between the positive symptom dimension and the extent of lifetime exposure to cannabis, with daily users of high-potency cannabis having the highest score (B = 0.35; 95% CI 0.14–0.56). Moreover, negative symptoms were more common among patients who never used cannabis compared with those with any pattern of use (B = −0.22; 95% CI −0.37 to −0.07). In controls, psychotic experiences were associated with current use of cannabis but not with the extent of lifetime use. Neither patients nor controls presented differences in depressive dimension related to cannabis use.
ConclusionsOur findings provide the first large-scale evidence that FEP patients with a history of daily use of high-potency cannabis present with more positive and less negative symptoms, compared with those who never used cannabis or used low-potency types.
A Cross-Sectional Survey on Burnout Prevalence and Profile in the Sicilian Population of Ambulance Driver-Rescuers
- Laura Ferraro, Caterina La Cascia, Antonio De Santis, Lucia Sideli, Giuseppe Maniaci, Ilenia Maria Orlando, Angelo Chifari, Lorenzo Maniaci, Daniele La Barbera
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- Journal:
- Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 35 / Issue 2 / April 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 27 January 2020, pp. 133-140
- Print publication:
- April 2020
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Introduction:
Burnout is present at a high rate in emergency medicine. The ambulance driver-rescuers, who furnish first aid to the victims, are the non-medical part of the Italian 118-service staff. There is a lack of research on burnout risk in Italian Emergency Medical Services and, particularly, for this category of workers. The two Italian studies, including a little group of ambulance driver-rescuers, reported inconsistent findings.
Hypothesis:This survey investigated for the first time the prevalence and exact profile of burnout in a large sample of Italian driver-rescuers. As a secondary aim, the study described how the items of the Italian version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) cluster in components in this sample.
Methods:This cross-sectional census survey was conducted from June 2015 through May 2016 and involved all the driver-rescuers operating in Sicily, the biggest and most southern region of Italy. The subjects received a classification according to different profiles of burnout by using the Italian version of the MBI-HSS (burnout, engagement, disengagement, over-extension, and work-inefficacy). In order to explore the existence of independent factors, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was conducted on the survey to obtain eigenvalues >one for each component in the data.
Results:The final sample comprised 2,361 responders (96.6% of the initial sample). Of them, 29.8% were in burnout (95% confidence interval [CI], 27.8% to 31.8%) and 1.7% presented a severe form (95% CI, 1.1% to 2.3%); 30.0% were engaged in their work (95% CI, 21.0% to 34.8%), 24.7% of responders were disengaged (95% CI, 22.9% to 26.5%), 1.2% presented an over-extension profile (95% CI, 0.8% to 1.7%), and 12.6% felt work-inefficacy (95% CI, 11.3% to 14.1%). The factors loaded into a five-factor solution at PCA, explaining 48.1% of the variance and partially replicating the three-factor structure. The Emotional Exhaustion (EE) component was confirmed. New dimensions from Personal Accomplishment (PA) and Depersonalization (DP) sub-scales described empathy and disengagement with patients, respectively, and were responsible for the increased risk of burnout.
Conclusions:These results endorse the importance of screening and psychological interventions for this population of emergency workers, where burnout could manifest itself more insidiously. It is also possible to speculate that sub-optimal empathy skills could be related to the disengagement and work-inefficacy feelings registered.
Transdiagnostic dimensions of psychopathology at first episode psychosis: findings from the multinational EU-GEI study
- Diego Quattrone, Marta Di Forti, Charlotte Gayer-Anderson, Laura Ferraro, Hannah E Jongsma, Giada Tripoli, Caterina La Cascia, Daniele La Barbera, Ilaria Tarricone, Domenico Berardi, Andrei Szöke, Celso Arango, Antonio Lasalvia, Andrea Tortelli, Pierre-Michel Llorca, Lieuwe de Haan, Eva Velthorst, Julio Bobes, Miguel Bernardo, Julio Sanjuán, Jose Luis Santos, Manuel Arrojo, Cristina Marta Del-Ben, Paulo Rossi Menezes, Jean-Paul Selten, EU-GEI WP2 Group, Peter B Jones, James B Kirkbride, Alexander L Richards, Michael C O'Donovan, Pak C Sham, Evangelos Vassos, Bart PF Rutten, Jim van Os, Craig Morgan, Cathryn M Lewis, Robin M Murray, Ulrich Reininghaus
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 49 / Issue 8 / June 2019
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 October 2018, pp. 1378-1391
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Background
The value of the nosological distinction between non-affective and affective psychosis has frequently been challenged. We aimed to investigate the transdiagnostic dimensional structure and associated characteristics of psychopathology at First Episode Psychosis (FEP). Regardless of diagnostic categories, we expected that positive symptoms occurred more frequently in ethnic minority groups and in more densely populated environments, and that negative symptoms were associated with indices of neurodevelopmental impairment.
MethodThis study included 2182 FEP individuals recruited across six countries, as part of the EUropean network of national schizophrenia networks studying Gene–Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) study. Symptom ratings were analysed using multidimensional item response modelling in Mplus to estimate five theory-based models of psychosis. We used multiple regression models to examine demographic and context factors associated with symptom dimensions.
ResultsA bifactor model, composed of one general factor and five specific dimensions of positive, negative, disorganization, manic and depressive symptoms, best-represented associations among ratings of psychotic symptoms. Positive symptoms were more common in ethnic minority groups. Urbanicity was associated with a higher score on the general factor. Men presented with more negative and less depressive symptoms than women. Early age-at-first-contact with psychiatric services was associated with higher scores on negative, disorganized, and manic symptom dimensions.
ConclusionsOur results suggest that the bifactor model of psychopathology holds across diagnostic categories of non-affective and affective psychosis at FEP, and demographic and context determinants map onto general and specific symptom dimensions. These findings have implications for tailoring symptom-specific treatments and inform research into the mood-psychosis spectrum.
Contributors
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- By Joëlle Adrien, M. Y. Agargun, Negar Ahmadi, Imran M. Ahmed, J. Todd Arnedt, Joseph Barbera, Simon Beaulieu-Bonneau, Marie E. Beitinger, Francesco Benedetti, Glenn Berall, Kirk J. Brower, Gregory M. Brown, Kumaraswamy Budur, Daniel P. Cardinali, Deirdre A. Conroy, Sara Dallaspezia, José Manuel de la Fuente, Paolo De Luca, Diana De Ronchi, Antonio Drago, Matthew R. Ebben, Irshaad Ebrahim, Pingfu Feng, Peter B. Fenwick, Lina Fine, Jonathan Adrian Ewing Fleming, Paul A. Fredrickson, Stephany Fulda, Lucile Garma, Roger Godbout, Reut Gruber, J. Allan Hobson, Andrea Iaboni, Anna Ivanenko, Mayumi Kimura, Milton Kramer, Christoph J. Lauer, Remy Luthringer, Luis Fernando Martínez, Sara Matteson-Rusby, Robert W. McCarley, Charles J. Meliska, Harvey Moldofsky, Charles M. Morin, Sricharan Moturi, Marie-Christine Ouellet, James F. Pagel, S. R. Pandi-Perumal, Barbara L. Parry, Timo Partonen, Wilfred R. Pigeon, Thomas Pollmächer, Nathalie Pross, Elliott Richelson, Naomi L. Rogers, Stefan Rupprecht-Mrozek, Philip Saleh, Andreas Schuld, Alessandro Serretti, Colin M. Shapiro, Christopher Michael Sinton, Marcel G. Smits, D. Warren Spence, Jürgen Staedt, Corinne Staner, Luc Staner, Axel Steiger, Deborah Suchecki, Michael J. Thorpy, Inna Voloh, Bradley G. Whitwell, Robert A. Zucker
- Edited by S. R. Pandi-Perumal, Milton Kramer, University of Illinois, Chicago
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- Book:
- Sleep and Mental Illness
- Published online:
- 05 July 2011
- Print publication:
- 01 April 2010, pp ix-xiii
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