Stability of retrospective self-reports of childhood trauma in first-episode psychosis

Aim Childhood trauma (CT), abuse and neglect are commonly reported by individuals experiencing psychosis. However, there are concerns that acute psychotic symptoms, in particular delusions, may contribute to inaccurate reporting of CT. As a result, individuals experiencing psychosis may not be asked about their experiences of abuse when they are being seen in psychiatric settings. This lack of attention can directly impact on the tailoring of their clinical care. This study aimed to investigate the stability of reports of CT by young people experiencing a first psychotic episode (FEP) compared to healthy comparison subjects. Methods Responses of 24 young people during the acute FEP and 3 months later to items on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were compared to 30 non-psychiatric controls. All participants were aged 15 to 25 years. Results FEP participants reported higher CT than controls at both time points. Reliability analyses (interclass correlation coefficients [ICCs]) suggested strong agreement between CT reports at baseline and follow-up for FEP participants (.81) and controls (.91). Positive psychotic symptoms were unrelated to CT reports. Although the severity of CT reports fluctuated between assessments, complete retractions of severe abuse claims occurred rarely. Conclusions The results suggest that retrospective self-report can be used to reliably assess CT in young people experiencing acute psychosis.