Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Aug 28:14:1247063.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1247063. eCollection 2023.

Adverse childhood experiences in patients with schizophrenia: related factors and clinical implications

Lei Zhang  1 , Nan Zhao  1 , Minghuan Zhu  1 , Minyi Tang  1 , Weiqing Liu  1 , Wenjuan Hong  1
Affiliations

Adverse childhood experiences in patients with schizophrenia: related factors and clinical implications

Lei Zhang et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

The relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the development of psychotic symptoms is not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the frequency and distribution of ACEs among patients with schizophrenia and their potential correlation with symptomatology and personality pathology. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 571 patients with schizophrenia in Shanghai, China. Symptomatology was assessed using the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) and personality pathology was assessed using the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire Fourth Edition Plus (PDQ-4+). ACEs were assessed using the Child Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF). ACEs were highly prevalent, with 80.8% of the patients with schizophrenia reporting at least one ACE. The three most common types of ACE were physical neglect (69.8%), emotional neglect (28.2%), and emotional abuse (22.9%). For specific ACE, emotional abuse was significantly associated with PD traits, whereas emotional and physical neglect types of ACE was significantly associated with negative symptoms. A higher level of physical abuse was more commonly reported by men, younger individuals, and those with a higher level of antisocial PD traits. Higher levels of physical neglect were associated with more severe negative symptoms. ACEs are commonly observed in patients with schizophrenia. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that this clinical population be provided with a comprehensive assessment and individualized intervention for those exposed to specific ACEs.

Keywords: abuse; adverse childhood experiences; neglect; personality pathology; psychotic symptoms; schizophrenia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Enrollment of patients with schizophrenia (SZ).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlations between personality disorder traits, clinical symptoms and adverse childhood experiences.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Stanton KJ, Denietolis B, Goodwin BJ, Dvir Y. Childhood trauma and psychosis: an updated review. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. (2020) 29:115–29. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2019.08.004 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dvir Y, Denietolis B, Frazier JA. Childhood trauma and psychosis. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. (2013) 22:629–41. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2013.04.006 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Inyang B, Gondal FJ, Abah GA, Minnal Dhandapani M, Manne M, Khanna M, et al. . The role of childhood trauma in psychosis and schizophrenia: a systematic review. Cureus. (2022) 14:e21466. doi: 10.7759/cureus.21466 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Qiao Y, Wang J, Hui L, Wang J, Zhou L, Qiao Y, et al. . Childhood adversities in narcissistic personality disorder in China. Psychiatry. (2021) 84:81–3. doi: 10.1080/00332747.2020.1845023, PMID: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Vaskinn A, Melle I, Aas M, Berg AO. Sexual abuse and physical neglect in childhood are associated with affective theory of mind in adults with schizophrenia. Schizophr Res Cogn. (2021) 23:100189. doi: 10.1016/j.scog.2020.100189, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed