A Broader Examination of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies across Psychopathology in Individuals with First-Episode Psychosis: Preliminary Findings from a Multiethnic Sample
Poster C9, Wednesday, October%2010, 11:30%20am%20-%201:00%20pm, Essex%20Ballroom
Jianlin Liu1,2, Rathi Mahendran3,4, Swapna Verma2, Siow Ann Chong2, Mythily Subramaniam2; 1Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 2Institute of Mental Health, 3National University Health System, 4Duke-NUS Medical School
Background: Habitual use of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, in response to stressful life events, is associated with risk for psychopathology. However, little is known about the relationship between cognitive emotion regulation strategies and a broad range of psychopathology as experienced by individuals with first-episode psychosis (FEP). The present study investigates the association among cognitive emotion regulation, psychotic, depressive, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a sample of individuals with FEP. Methods: A total of 50 newly diagnosed (≤ 3 months of antipsychotic medications) individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, who were seeking treatment for FEP at a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Singapore, completed self-report measures of cognitive emotion regulation, depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Severity of psychotic symptoms was assessed on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Medical variables extracted: Duration of untreated psychosis, psychiatric comorbidities, and family history of mental illness. Results: A series of multivariate regression models adjusting for medical variables, revealed that positive symptoms were associated with more catastrophic thinking (R2 = .27, p <.05), PTSD symptoms were associated with more rumination, catastrophic thinking, and other-blame (R2 = .85, p <.001), depressive symptoms were associated with more catastrophic thinking and other-blame (R2 = .76, p <.001), and anxiety symptoms were associated with more catastrophic thinking (R2 = .75, p <.001). Conclusion: The present study sets the stage for further investigation of the mediating and moderating effects of cognitive emotion regulation, that may better explain the relationship between stressful life events and psychopathology in individuals with FEP.
Topic Area: Psychosocial Interventions