The Relationship between Childhood Trauma and Schizophrenia Symptoms Severity at Zagazig University Hospitals

Abstract

Background: Childhood trauma is an environmental and risk modifying factor for schizophrenia. Aim of the work: The objective of the present work is to evaluate the incidence of childhood trauma among schizophrenic patients and how this impacts the clinical features of the disorder. Subjects and Methods: It is a crosssectional study conducted from January 2019 to June 2019 at the Psychiatry Department, Zagazig University hospitals where the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) Arabic version was used to verify the diagnosis of randomly chosen 104 schizophrenic patients meeting the inclusion criteria. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for the assessment of positive, negative and general psychopathology connected with schizophrenia. Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) Arabic version to assess adverse childhood experience. The study was approved by the medical ethics committee of Zagazig University Hospitals and a written informed consent is obtained from all patients. Results: The prevalence of childhood trauma in schizophrenic patients is (85.6 %), (42.3%) of them had ≥3 types of trauma. Childhood trauma was associated with low education level and rural residence. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between childhood trauma and positive symptoms of schizophrenia in which (ACE total score ≥ 3 traumas) were associated with severe positive symptoms. Conclusion: Childhood trauma is prevalent in patients with schizophrenia. Childhood trauma patients are associated with more severe positive symptoms, especially in patients with 3 or more traumas. Patients with childhood trauma were associated with early schizophrenia onset.