title: Social support and three-year symptom and admission outcomes for first episode psychosis.
abstract: This paper presents the first published findings examining the relationship of social support to three-year symptom outcome and hospitalizations for a group of first episode patients with psychotic disorders. Social support was measured using items from the provider version of the Wisconsin Quality of Life Scale as assessed at the time of initiation of treatment for 113 patients. Outcome was assessed by level of positive and negative symptoms at three-year follow-up and number of psychiatric admissions during those three years. Higher levels of social support were found to correlate with lower levels of positive symptoms and few hospitalizations at follow-up. The relationship of social support to follow-up symptoms and hospitalization was independent of other potential predictors such as gender, age, premorbid adjustment and duration of untreated illness.
authors.affiliation: University of Western Ontario and Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses, London Health Sciences Centre, Room 114A, WMCH Building, 392 South Street, London, Ontario, Canada. rnorman@uwo.ca
authors.forename: Ross M G
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: Ashok K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Malla
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manchanda
authors.forename: Raj
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harricharan
authors.forename: Jatinder
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takhar
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Northcott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome