Four behavioural syndromes of schizophrenia: a replication in a second inner-London epidemiological sample

Abstract

In a previous large epidemiological survey of patients with strictly defined schizophrenia in the London borough of Camden, we extracted four behavioural syndromes (Social withdrawal, Thought disturbance, Anti-social behaviour and Depressed behaviour) by factor analysis of MRC Social Behaviour Schedule (SBS) data. These syndromes had significant differential relationships to symptoms assessed using the Manchester Scale (MS), symptom-derived syndromes, and social functioning variables. A second inner-London epidemiological survey of schizophrenia in South Westminster using identical methodology found the same four behavioural syndromes with identical core component items. The same four behavioural syndromes were extracted, whether applying strict Feighner diagnostic criteria ( n=112) or broader DSM-III-R criteria ( n=198). The four syndromes extracted from the Feighner positive sample showed relationships to symptoms and social functioning variables similar to those found in the original Camden study. However, the symptom-derived factors were not the same and did not conform to the three recognised symptom-based syndromes of schizophrenia. This successful replication suggests that assessment of the four behavioural syndromes of schizophrenia offers a different perspective on disability and a potentially relevant measure in clinical practice, clinical trials and studies of the neuropsychology and pathophysiology of schizophrenia.