Objective To evaluate the relationship between a history of traumatic experiences and the clinical features of first-episode psychosis (FEP). Method We tested associations between trauma variables and duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), age of onset (AO), PANSS-rated positive and negative symptoms and depressive symptoms (Calgary Depression Scale) in a sample of 54 FEP patients. Results Mean DUP was 34.4 weeks, while mean AO was 24.7 years. Witnessing a seriously violent assault (49%) was associated with high positive symptoms ( p = 0.002), while a significant personal experience of racism and discrimination (39%) was associated with high depressive ( p = 0.042) symptoms. Previous sexual assault (44% of females) was associated with high positive ( p = 0.028) and negative ( p = 0.035) symptoms with a trend association with depressive symptoms ( p = 0.092). Conclusion Our findings suggest that previous traumatic experience is associated with positive and affective symptoms in FEP.