High prevalence of childhood trauma in patients with schizophrenia spectrum and affective disorder
Comprehensive Psychiatry, 08/20/2012
Larsson S et al. – A high prevalence of Childhood trauma (CT) in patients with severe mental disorder was detected. This reminds us of the importance of exploring this issue when the physician treat such patients. The mechanisms behind these differences are unclear. Further research is needed to study potential associations between CT and the clinical picture of the disorder.
Methods- Three hundred five patients were recruited consecutively from psychiatric units at 3 major hospitals in Oslo, Norway, diagnosed with Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition.
- Traumatic childhood events were assessed with Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.
- Eighty-two percent of the patients had experienced one or more CT events, the most frequent subtype of trauma being emotional neglect.
- The schizophrenia spectrum group reported significantly more physical abuse and physical neglect than the affective group.
