Comparability of the Global Functioning: Social and Role Scales in North American and International High-Risk Samples

Poster B98, Tuesday, October%209, 11:30%20am%20-%201:00%20pm, Essex%20Ballroom

Andrea M. Auther1,2, Ricardo E. Carrion1,2,3, Danielle McLaughlin1, Heather Zyla1, Barbara A. Cornblatt1,2,3; 1Northwell Health/The Zucker Hillside Hospital, 2Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, 3Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

Functioning deficits are prominent features of psychotic disorders and contribute to reduced productivity and lower quality of life. Further, research has shown that problems with social functioning, including forming and maintaining relationships, and role functioning, involving work/school achievement, are present prior to the onset of psychosis, in the high-risk phase. As part of the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study (NAPLS), two comparably anchored yet independent measures of social and role functioning, the Global Functioning:Social (GF:Social) and Global Functioning:Role (GF:Role) scales (Cornblatt et al, 2007), were developed specifically to assess these domains in high-risk youth. The brief, summary scales have been validated and shown to be reliable in US samples. Results from NAPLS and the Recognition and Prevention Program in the US consistently have found mean GF:Social and GF:Role scores of 5-6 (out of 10, moderate to serious impairment) for high-risk subjects and 8-9 (good to above average functioning) for healthy controls, with significant differences between groups. Additionally, the GF:Social score has been found to predict psychosis conversion in several studies. However, it is unclear to what extent these findings hold internationally. This presentation will compare published findings from high-risk samples collected in Italy, Finland, Denmark, Australia, and Korea to North American samples. In particular, the GF scales mean scores, correlations with high-risk symptoms, and usefulness as predictors of psychosis conversion will be examined. If comparable, the findings will support conclusions about functional deficits in the prodrome established in North America and support the generalizability of the measures across cultures.

Topic Area: Ultra High Risk / Prodromal Research

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