title: "Everyone Needs a Friend Sometimes"- Social Predictors of Long-Term Remission In First Episode Psychosis.
abstract: Background:Predictors of long-term symptomatic remission are crucial to the successful tailoring of treatment in first episode psychosis. There is lack of studies distinguishing the predictive effects of different social factors. This prevents a valid evaluating of their independent effects.Objectives:To test specific social baseline predictors of long-term remission. We hypothesized that first, satisfaction with social relations predicts remission; second, that frequency of social interaction predicts remission; and third, that the effect of friend relationship satisfaction and frequency will be greater than that of family relations satisfaction and frequency.Material and Methods:A sample of first episode psychosis (n= 186) completed baseline measures of social functioning, as well as clinical assessments. We compared groups of remitted and non-remitted individuals using generalized estimating equations analyses.Results:Frequency of social interaction with friends was a significant positive predictor of remission over a two-year period. Neither global perceived social satisfaction nor frequency of family interaction showed significant effects.Conclusions:The study findings are of particular clinical importance since frequency of friendship interaction is a possibly malleable factor. Frequency of interaction could be affected through behavioral modification and therapy already from an early stage in the course, and thus increase remission rates.
authors.affiliation: Tidlig Oppdagelse og Behandling av Psykoser - Centre for Clinical Research in Psychosis, Stavanger University HospitalStavanger, Norway; Network for Medical Sciences, University of StavangerStavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Jone
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bjornestad
authors.affiliation: Tidlig Oppdagelse og Behandling av Psykoser - Centre for Clinical Research in Psychosis, Stavanger University HospitalStavanger, Norway; Network for Medical Sciences, University of StavangerStavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Joa
authors.affiliation: Tidlig Oppdagelse og Behandling av Psykoser - Centre for Clinical Research in Psychosis, Stavanger University HospitalStavanger, Norway; Section of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of BergenBergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Tor K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.affiliation: Tidlig Oppdagelse og Behandling av Psykoser - Centre for Clinical Research in Psychosis, Stavanger University Hospital Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Langeveld
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University, New Haven CT, USA.
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: Tidlig Oppdagelse og Behandling av Psykoser - Centre for Clinical Research in Psychosis, Stavanger University Hospital Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Wenche
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ten Velden Hegelstad
authors.affiliation: Tidlig Oppdagelse og Behandling av Psykoser - Centre for Clinical Research in Psychosis, Stavanger University Hospital Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Liss G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Anda
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bergen University College Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Veseth
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Melle
authors.affiliation: Tidlig Oppdagelse og Behandling av Psykoser - Centre for Clinical Research in Psychosis, Stavanger University HospitalStavanger, Norway; Section of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of BergenBergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Jan O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Johannessen
authors.affiliation: Tidlig Oppdagelse og Behandling av Psykoser - Centre for Clinical Research in Psychosis, Stavanger University HospitalStavanger, Norway; Section of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of BergenBergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Kolbjorn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bronnick
keywords: baseline predictors; first-episode psychosis; long-term remission; schizophrenia; social factors