Evaluación del control inhibitorio verbal con el test de Stroop en primeros episodios de psicosis con experiencia de trauma en la infancia

Abstract

Data from clinical experience highlight the high prevalence of traumatic experiences in subjects with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. However, much is left to examine about the effect of traumatic experiences in the development and severity of psychosis. The Stroop Test assess the verbal response inhibition, an executive function which allows to stop an automatic response and makes possible the inhibition of new behaviours, depending on the situation. To examine the relationship between subjective experience of trauma, verbal response inhibition in the Stroop Test, and severity of the diagnosis at six months from the onset of the disease, in patients with first episode psychosis. Data were obtained from a longitudinal intervention program of first-episode of psychosis (PAFIP) conducted at the University Hospital Marques de Valdecilla, Spain. The variables of interest in the present study were the Stroop Test and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire as part of the neuropsychological assessment of PAFIP. Statistically significant differences were obtained in verbal response inhibition, being more subjects with high response inhibition when the said trauma was of low intensity. These data support the relationship between intensity of the traumatic experience in childhood and response inhibition dysfunction in people with first episode psychosis, although we cannot conclude a more severe diagnosis at six months from the onset of psychosis in people with traumatic experiences more intense.