Testing the stress-vulnerability hypothesis in ICD-10-diagnosed acute and transient psychotic disorders.

Abstract

To examine if family-history-positive (FHP) vis-à-vis family-history-negative (FHN) probands with ICD-10-diagnosed acute and transient psychotic disorders (ATPD) differ significantly with respect to number of life events and cumulative stress score prior to the onset of ATPD. Forty probands with ICD-10-based clinical diagnosis of acute and transient psychotic disorders were studied with respect to: (a) history of psychiatric disorders in first-degree relatives, and (b) antecedent life events and cumulative stress. The FHP and FHN probands were compared on the latter variables using Mann-Whitney U-test. FHP probands reported significantly less number of total life events compared to FHN probands (P = 0.006). Similarly, FHP probands had significantly less stress score than FHN probands (P = 0.002). There were no significant demographic or clinical differences between the two groups. The findings support the stress-vulnerability hypothesis in the aetiology of ATPD.