Abstract
The objective is to investigate the relationship between psychopathology measured by the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) and concurrent global assessment of functioning (GAF) and subjective well-being under neuroleptics (SWN) in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) regarding severity of illness and disease phase. We analyzed a sample of 202 SSD patients consisting of first episode psychosis (FEP) and multiple episode psychosis (MEP) patients followed up to 12 months using linear mixed models. All PANSS syndromes except excitement were associated with GAF scores (positive syndrome: p < 0.001, d = 1.21; negative syndrome: p = 0.029, d = 0.015; disorganized syndrome: p < 0.001, d = 0.37; anxiety/depression syndrome: p < 0.001, d = 0.49), and positive symptoms had an increasing impact on global functioning with higher severity of illness (mildly ill: p = 0.039, d = 0.22; moderately ill: p < 0.001, d = 0.28; severely ill: p < 0.001, d = 0.69). SWN was associated with positive (p = 0.002, d = 0.22) and anxiety/depression (p < 0.001, d = 0.38) syndromes. Subgroup analyses showed differing patterns depending on illness severity and phase. Over all our results show different patterns of associations of psychopathology and concurrent functioning and subjective well-being. These findings contribute knowledge on the possible role of specific psychopathological syndromes for the functioning and well-being of our patients and may enable tailored treatments depending on severity and phase of illness.
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Acknowledgements
Study OB-026/06 received no specific Grant from any funding agency, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Studies 2465/05 and 2515/05 were investigator initiated trials partly funded by AstraZeneca GmbH. The funding agency had no role in the design of the current study; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication.
Authors’ contributions
LH and CGH designed the current study protocol (post-hoc analyses). ML, BGS, and CGH designed the original study protocols and supervised data collection. LH and CGH analyzed and interpreted the data, and LH wrote the initial draft of the paper. SB, UEL, and RS contributed supervisory support to the analysis. All authors have contributed to read and approved the final version of the manuscript. LH and CGH had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.
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Hochstrasser, L., Borgwardt, S., Lambert, M. et al. The association of psychopathology with concurrent level of functioning and subjective well-being in persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 268, 455–459 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-017-0780-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-017-0780-3