The child and adolescent first-episode psychosis study (CAFEPS): Design and baseline results

Obstetric complications as a risk factor for first psychotic episodes in childhood and adolescence

“…This study was conducted in the context of the CAFEPS [3], to our knowledge, the largest early-onset first-episode psychosis sample ever studied and the one with the shortest duration of symptoms and psychopharmacological treatment. According to the present results, there is a significant association between bleeding during pregnancy and first psychotic episodes in adolescence (adjusted OR > 5).…”

“…A case-control study of 102 adolescents diagnosed with a first episode psychosis (FEP) and 94 healthy controls was conducted in the context of a larger longitudinal early onset first-episode psychosis study, the child and adolescent first-episode psychosis study (CAFEPS) ( [3], see this reference for further information about the methods). Patients were recruited from those who consecutively came in to the Department of Psychiatry at six different centres, in five different cities around the country, including both outpatient and inpatient facilities.…”

“…Patients were recruited from those who consecutively came in to the Department of Psychiatry at six different centres, in five different cities around the country, including both outpatient and inpatient facilities. The FEP group consisted of adolescents with a first psychotic episode diagnosed by a senior psychiatrist, according to both ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria, after an assessment with the K-SADS-PL diagnostic interview [3]. The inclusion criteria for patients were age below 18 years at the time of first evaluation and presence of positive psychotic symptoms (within a psychotic episode) such as delusions or hallucinations of less than 6 months' duration since the onset of symptoms.…”

“…The inclusion criteria for controls were: similar age and sex and from the same geographical areas as patients, no psychiatric disorder as measured by the Kiddie-SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS) and no neurological disorders, head trauma, pregnancy, or mental retardation (MR) (only if, besides low IQ, cognitive functioning was clinically impaired). Six controls were excluded due to diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder after the first evaluation (two attention deficits-hyperactivity disorder, three anxiety disorders, one anorexia nervosa) [3].…”

“…The OC are grouped into prenatal (four items) and peri-postnatal complications (11 items). In eight of the 110 patients and four of the 98 controls comprising the original CAFEPS study population [3], it was not possible to administer the scale, resulting in the final number of 102 subjects in the FEP group and 94 in the control group. The causes why they could not be assessed were either that they were adopted children and did not live with their biological parents (including foster care), or the fact that there was no obstetric record in their charts.…”