Associations Between Childhood Trauma and Social Cognition in Early Psychosis

Background

Childhood trauma (CT), in the form of abuse and neglect, and altered social cognition (SC) are both linked to poorer clinical and functional outcomes in psychosis. The impact of CT and its subtypes on SC in early psychosis has been underexplored, with mixed findings from previous studies. The current study investigated the effects of CT and its subtypes on SC in at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis and first episode psychosis (FEP) individuals.

Method

One hundred and seventeen individuals were included (ARMS [n = 51], FEP [n = 66]). History of CT was assessed using the composite score of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. SC abilities were tested with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test for Theory of Mind (ToM) and Emotion Expression Multimorph Task for Emotion Recognition (ER). Linear regression, ANCOVA, and repeated-measures ANOVA were performed to investigate main and interaction effects.

Results

FEP individuals performed significantly worse than ARMS participants in ER sensitivity. Composite CT was not associated with SC in either cohort. Physical neglect was a strong predictor of poorer ToM in FEP individuals (${\eta }^2$ = 0.082). Physical abuse was negatively associated with overall ER sensitivity in ARMS participants versus FEPs (${\eta }_p^2$ = 0.079), particularly anger (p < 0.001), disgust (p = 0.019), and sadness (p = 0.004).

Conclusion

Results highlight the importance of investigating effects of CT subtypes on SC performance in early psychosis as specific subtypes may impact differentially on SC. These associations can guide further investigation of underlying mechanisms and inform personalised interventions for early psychosis targeting specific SC deficits linked to CT in future research.