180. Predictors of Being ‘Most Impacted’ by Psychosis in Self-Identity Among Individuals at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis
Year: 2017
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Background: While the clinical high risk state for psychosis syndrome (CHR) offers substantial benefits, being identified as CHR may also elicit stigma. Specifically, the comparative impacts upon youths’ self-concept of being “told” by others, versus initial self-identification of being at-risk (i.e., what CHR youth themselves “think”) remains unknown. Methods: Stigma assessments were conducted with 100 CHR individuals in an NIH-funded study at Columbia Medical Center, Harvard Medical Center, and Maine Medical Center from 2011 to present. Individuals were assessed whether they had been “told” by health professionals or school officials outside of the specialized CHR clinic that they were at risk and whether they self-identified or themselves “thought” they were at risk. Logistic regression models were used to assess these 2 variables’ effects upon CHR youth being “most impacted” by a psychotic disorder. Results: When examining each variable singly, being told was associated with a 4.67 increased likelihood of being most impacted by psychosis risk (P < .05). Likewise, thinking one was at risk for psychosis when examined alone was associated with a 3.87 increased likelihood of being most impacted by psychosis-risk (P < .05). When entering both variables as predictors, being told remained associated with a 3.61 greater likelihood of being most impacted by psychosis-risk (P < .05). In this model, thinking one was at risk for psychosis was no longer a significant predictor. These results were consistent even after controlling for sociodemographics, clinical variables, and site differences. Conclusion: When both told and think were considered, only being told that one was CHR remained associated with over a 3-fold greater likelihood of being most impacted by psychosis risk. This highlights the importance of “labeling by others,” including by mental health professionals and school officials who are not part of specialized CHR services, as a core process by which psychosis risk might influence one’s self-concept. These findings have significant implications for the delivery of CHR services, including discussing with individuals identified as CHR who had previously communicated their at-risk status to them. These findings have potential implications for guiding implementation of CHR services both in the United States and worldwide.
Source: Schizophrenia Bulletin
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2603535653