title: A history of childhood trauma is associated with slower improvement rates: Findings from a one-year follow-up study of patients with a first-episode psychosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to investigate whether childhood trauma was associated with more severe clinical features in patients with first-episode psychosis, both at the initial assessment and after one year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-six patients with a first-episode of a DSM-IV diagnosis of psychosis, in addition to 264 healthy controls from the same catchment area, were recruited to the TOP NORMENT study. A history of childhood trauma was obtained using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Function and symptom severity were measured using the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale divided into function (GAF-F) and symptoms (GAF-S), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). All clinical assessments were completed at two time points: At an initial assessment within the first year of initiating treatment for psychosis and after one year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Childhood trauma was associated with significantly reduced global functioning and more severe clinical symptoms at both baseline and follow-up, whereas emotional neglect was associated with a significantly reduced improvement rate for global functioning (GAF-F) over the follow-up period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that patients with first-episode psychosis who report a history of childhood trauma constitute a subgroup characterized by more severe clinical features over the first year of treatment, as well as slower improvement rates.
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, NORMENT K.G Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, TOP study group, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Bygg 49, Ullevål sykehus, PO Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway. monica.aas@medisin.uio.no.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aas
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, NORMENT K.G Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, TOP study group, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Bygg 49, Ullevål sykehus, PO Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ole A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Andreassen
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, NORMENT K.G Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, TOP study group, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Bygg 49, Ullevål sykehus, PO Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway.|Department of Specialized Inpatient Treatment, Division of Mental Health Services, Akershus University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Sofie R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Aminoff
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, NORMENT K.G Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, TOP study group, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Bygg 49, Ullevål sykehus, PO Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Færden
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, NORMENT K.G Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, TOP study group, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Bygg 49, Ullevål sykehus, PO Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Kristin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Romm
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Environment and Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ragnar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nesvåg
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, NORMENT K.G Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, TOP study group, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Bygg 49, Ullevål sykehus, PO Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Akiah O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, NORMENT K.G Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, TOP study group, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Bygg 49, Ullevål sykehus, PO Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Simonsen
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, NORMENT K.G Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, TOP study group, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Bygg 49, Ullevål sykehus, PO Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway.|Department of Psychiatric Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Agartz
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, NORMENT K.G Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, TOP study group, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Bygg 49, Ullevål sykehus, PO Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Melle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index