부산대학교 도서관

The present thesis has been developed within the framework of the new paradigm of early detection and intervention in psychosis. In the first part of the thesis the main theoretical and methodological constructs, as well as the rational and state of the art of the early detection and intervention in psychosis paradigm are developed. In this first part three theoretical articles that have been recently published on scientific journals are included. The first article presents an overview and update of current research about Schizotypal Personality Disorder in adolescence, emphasizing on its relevance for early detection and intervention of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The second article presents, the basic concepts, rationale and state of the art of the early detection and intervention paradigm, and it also presents a review of main detection and intervention programs in early psychosis developed worldwide, which brings us an overview of the current psychotherapeutic approaches in early psychosis. The third article, aims to present and describe the integrated need-adapted treatment approach of the SPC-EPP currently being developed in Barcelona, in which the empirical work of this thesis was conducted. The second part of the thesis contains four empirical studies conducted with relatives and patients identified as At-Risk Mental State (ARMS) and First-Episode Psychosis who receive treatment and belong to the SPC-EPP. Study 1 presents an overall description of clinical and psychosocial features of ARMS and FEP groups. Furthermore, both groups were compared in order to characterize commonalities and differences between the at-risk and onset of disorder stages. Study 2 focused on analyzing how subjective quality of life was associated with symptom severity and functional impairment in ARMS patients. Study 3 and Study 4 are focused on the study of family factors that have been demonstrated to be related with the course and outcome of psychotic disorders. Thus, Study 3 characterizes the profile of relatives’ Expressed Emotion (EE), illness attributions and emotional states in early stages of psychosis on the one hand, and examines how these family factors are associated and how they differ between ARMS and FEP groups, on the other hand. Study 4 aims to examine if family environment, through the relatives’ EE has an effect on clinical and functional status of early psychosis patients, as well as to examine the possible mediating role of relatives’ attributions in the association between EE and illness severity. Overall, this thesis provides highly relevant clinical and research results that can be useful to improve treatment strategies in patients and their families and assist to the design of health policies. Furthermore, findings are consistent and comparable with several programs and studies in early psychosis at different countries. On the one hand, findings justify the importance of early detection and highlight the need of improve treatment, especially in at-risk stages of psychosis, given that patients at this stage show considerable clinical severity and functional impairment. On the other hand, findings demonstrate that even in the early stages of psychotic disorder the family environment is crucial, since relatives’ negative affect in form of criticism and Emotional Over-Involvement (EOI), along with relatives’ attributions of blame toward the patient, have an effect on symptoms and functioning of both ARMS and FEP patients. Therefore, family intervention should be a priority target of early psychosis programs, in order to inform relatives about the nature and course of psychosis, to help them to better cope and adequately address the challenges of the disorder over time, as well as to reduce negative appraisals, distress and, therefore, to prevent the entrenchment of high-EE attitudes over time.