The association between early traumatic experiences and the five domains of negative symptoms in participants at clinical high risk for psychosis.

AIM: Youth at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis have high rates of early life trauma, but it is unclear how trauma exposure impacts later negative symptom severity in CHR. The current study examined the association between early childhood trauma and the five domains of negative symptoms (anhedonia, avolition, asociality, blunted affect, alogia).

METHOD: Eighty nine participants completed interviewer-rated measures of childhood trauma and abuse experienced before age 16, psychosis risk, and negative symptoms.

RESULTS

Higher global negative symptom severity was associated with greater exposure to childhood psychological bullying, physical bullying, emotional neglect, psychological abuse, and physical abuse. Greater severity of avolition and asociality was associated with physical bullying. Greater severity of avolition was associated with emotional neglect.

CONCLUSION

Early adversity and childhood trauma is associated with negative symptoms during adolescence and early adulthood among participants at CHR for psychosis.