Health Related Quality of Life in Subjects at Risk for a First Episode Of Psychosis

Abstract

To date no data on health related quality of life (HRQL) in subjects at risk for a first episode of psychosis compared with first episode schizophrenia patients (FE) or healthy controls (HC) is available, although the concept of HRQL is of growing relevance in schizophrenia research. Therefore 45 subjects in a putatively early initial prodromal state (EIPS), 40 FE and 45 HC were assessed for demographics, psychopathology and HRQL as measured by the self-rating instrument Modular System for Quality of Life. Results indicated that on a descriptive level in most life areas HC experienced the highest HRQL scores followed in hierarchical order by EIPS and FE. EIPS and FE experienced significantly lower HRQL than HC in 5 and 6 of 7 HRQL domains. When comparing EIPS and FE, EIPS experienced a significantly lower HRQL level in affective HRQL. HRQL ratings in EIPS were negatively correlated with joining school or work and higher positive prodromal symptom scores. In FE HRQL scores were negatively correlated with age and depression. The major finding from the study is that HRQL in subjects at risk for a first episode of psychosis is substantially reduced when compared with HC. Thus, HRQL maybe already reduced prior to the onset of first positive schizophrenia symptoms. These data support the notion that subjects at risk for a first episode of psychosis constitute a clinical population in which further service and intervention research is indicated