Negative symptoms and impaired social functioning predict later psychosis in Latino youth at clinical high risk in the North American prodromal longitudinal studies consortium

• Authors: Tracy Alderman, University of California, San Diego; Jean Addington, University of Calgary; Carrie Bearden, University of California, Los Angeles; Tyrone D. Cannon, University of California, Los Angeles; Barbara A. Cornblatt, Zucker Hillside Hospital; Thomas H. McGlashan, Yale University; Diana O. Perkins, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; Larry J. Seidman, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Ming T. Tsuang, University of California, San Diego; Elaine Walker, Emory University; Scott W. Woods, Yale University; Kristin S. Cadenhead, University of California, San Diego
• Journal Title: Early Intervention in Psychiatry
• Volume: Volume 9, Number 6
• Publisher: Wiley: 12 months | 2015-01-01, Pages 467-475
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/eip.12128
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Mental Health; Psychology, Clinical
• Keywords: Latino; clinical high risk; prodrome; psychosis; Adolescent; Age Factors; Case-Control Studies; Educational Status; Expressed Emotion; Female; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; North America; Prodromal Symptoms; Psychotic Disorders; Risk Factors; Social Adjustment

Abstract

Aim: Examining ethnically related variables in evaluating those at risk for psychosis is critical. This study investigated sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of Latino versus non-Latino clinical high-risk (CHR) subjects and healthy control (HC) subjects in the first North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study. Methods: Fifty-six Latino CHR subjects were compared to 25 Latino HC and 423 non-Latino CHR subjects across clinical and demographic variables. Thirty-nine of the 56 CHR subjects completed at least one subsequent clinical evaluation over the 2.5-year period with 39% developing a psychotic illness. Characteristics of Latino CHR subjects who later converted to psychosis ('converters') were compared to those who did not ('non-converters'). Results: Latino CHR subjects were younger than non-Latino CHR subjects and had less education than Latino HC subjects and non-Latino CHR counterparts. Latino CHR converters had higher scores than Latino non-converters on the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes total negative symptoms that were accounted for by decreased expression of emotion and personal hygiene/social attentiveness subsections. Latino CHR converters scored lower on the global functioning:social scale, indicating worse social functioning than Latino non-converters. Conclusion: Based on this sample, Latino CHR subjects may seek treatment earlier and have less education than non-Latino CHR subjects. Deficits in social functioning and impaired personal hygiene/social attentiveness among Latino CHR subjects predicted later psychosis and may represent important areas for future study. Larger sample sizes are needed to more thoroughly investigate the observed ethnic differences and risk factors for psychosis in Latino youth.