Social support and three-year symptom and admission outcomes for first episode psychosis

Norman, Ross M.G.; Malla, Ashok K.; Manchanda, Rahul; Harricharan, Raj; Takhar, Jatinder; Northcott, Sandra

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2005.05.006

« Previous Next »Schizophrenia Research
Volume 80, Issue 2 , Pages 227-234, 15 December 2005

Social support and three-year symptom and admission outcomes for first episode psychosis

Ross M.G. Norman
- 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 N6A 4G5
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 519 685 8300x75493; fax: +1 519 667 6623.
Ashok K. Malla
- McGill University and Douglas Hospital Research Centre, 6875 LaSalle Boulevarde, Verdun, Quebec, Canada H4H 1R3
Rahul Manchanda
- 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 N6A 4G5
Raj Harricharan
- 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 N6A 4G5
Jatinder Takhar
- 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 N6A 4G5
Sandra Northcott
- 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 N6A 4G5

Received 22 December 2004; received in revised form 20 April 2005; accepted 6 May 2005.

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.

Keywords: First episode psychosis, Schizophrenia, Social support