title: Childhood trauma and distress experiences associate with psychotic symptoms in patients attending primary and psychiatric outpatient care. Results of the RADEP study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We studied the prevalence of and association between psychotic symptoms and childhood trauma experiences in primary care patients compared with psychiatric care patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We note 911 primary care and psychiatric care patients over 16 years of age filled in a questionnaire including a list of lifetime psychotic symptoms of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and the childhood Trauma and Distress Scale (TADS). Prevalence of and correlations between psychotic symptoms and childhood trauma and stressful experiences were calculated. Association between the sum of CIDI symptoms and the TADS sum score was analysed by Anova.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In primary care, more than half of the patients had had at least one psychotic symptom during their lifetime, and nearly 70% of patients had experienced a childhood trauma at some time or more often. In psychiatric care patients, CIDI symptoms were more prevalent and TADS scores were higher than in primary care patients. In the whole sample, CIDI symptoms correlated with TADS scores. The association remained even when the effects of age, service, and patient's functioning were taken into account. There was a dose-response between TADS scores and CIDI symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Childhood trauma experiences associate with psychotic symptoms. In clinical work, it is important to acknowledge that psychotic symptoms and childhood trauma experiences are common not only in psychiatric care but also in primary care patients, and thus require adequate attention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku, and Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. sinluu@utu.fi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luutonen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tikka
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: R K R
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Salokangas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult