J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2012 Sep;51(5):249-254.

The Impact of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Schizophrenia

• Park CH
• Lee S
• Kim NH

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study investigated the prevalence of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients with schizophrenia and compared the clinical outcomes in the PTSD group and the non-PTSD group.
METHODS
Among 38 patients, a total of 35 schizophrenic patients completed the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Life Stressor Checklist-Revised (LSCL-R), and Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS).
RESULTS
Thirty three patients (94.2%) had at least one trauma and average 3.9 traumatic events in their life time. There were 12 patients (34.3%) who were diagnosed with PTSD. There were no differences of sociodemographic, duration of illness, number of admission, and duration of admission between the PTSD and non-PTSD groups. After one year treatment, the non-PTSD group had significantly improved in PANSS positive, negative, and general psychopathology scale. However, the PTSD group demonstrated no significant changes in PANSS negative and general psychopathology scale.
CONCLUSION
In this study, there were high rate of prevalence of trauma and PTSD in patients with schizophrenia. PTSD had negative effects on clinical outcomes in patients with schizophrenia. Careful trauma-focused approach is necessary within this population.

Keyword

Schizophrenia; Psychological trauma; Posttraumatic stressdisorder; Prevalence; Outcome

MeSH Terms

Humans
Prevalence
Psychopathology
Schizophrenia
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

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