Prevalenza di sintomi psicotici sottosoglia in una coorte di studenti della scuola secondaria di secondo grado

Abstract

Background. Shortening the duration of untreated psychosis through the early detection of prodromal symptoms is paramount to improve long-term clinical outcome. The aim of this study was to explore the usefulness of the Italian version of a psychometric scale aimed to assess subthreshold psychotic symptoms in a sample of Italian students. Methods. A total of 407 secondary school students were asked to fill anonymously the Italian version of the Screening for Psychotic Experiences (SPE), a 20-item questionnaire focusing on the prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia. Participants also completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Retrospective Bullying Questionnaire. Results. The prevalence of positive answers on different item ranged between 10.1% and 60.6%. There was a positive correlation between the total SPE score and a history of cannabis use in the past six months (p=0.02). In addition, the total SPE score showed a significant association with a history of being bullied during the primary and secondary school (p<0.001). The scale showed a good reliability (Cronbach α= 0.79). Stress scores on the PSS did not predict independently the total SPE score. Conclusions. This pilot study provides evidence of a good internal consistency of the SPE scale in apparently healthy Italian individuals, suggesting its potential usefulness as a screening tool for early psychosis. Further studies are needed to devise an optimal cut-off value for identifying individuals at risk.