AUTHOR=Liangrong Zheng , Guican Zhang , Qi Zhu , Weirui Yang , Yaqi Zhang , Tong Li , Wenjing Liang , Ming Zhang , Nianhong Guan 

TITLE=Long-Term Outcomes and Predictors of Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia: A Naturalistic Study of 6-year Follow-Up in China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.679807

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2021.679807

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> The long-term outcome of childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) and its influencing factors remain unclear. The current study aimed to assess the long-term outcomes of COS and identify possible outcome predictors.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> We retrospectively investigated 276 patients with COS. Diagnosis made according to the ICD-10 criteria for schizophrenia, and the age of the first onset was ≤ 14 years. Follow-up was completed for 170 patients, with a median follow-up period of 5.6 years. Outcome variables included occupational/education status and readmission. Spearman correlation was performed to assess the relationship between predictors and outcome variables. Binary logistic regression was conducted to detect possible predictor variables for outcome variables.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> At the end of the follow-up, 89 patients (52.3%) were at school, 70 patients (41.2%) were employed, and only 11 patients (6.5%) were dropped out of school or unemployed. The duration to the first admission and depressive symptoms were identified as predictors of occupational/educational status. The length of follow-up and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) were distinguished as predictors of readmission. Duration to the first admission and length of follow-up were risk factors, and depressive symptoms and OCS were protective factors for the outcomes of COS.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> We found a favorable long-term outcome on occupational/education status in COS, and depressive symptoms and OCS may be associated with more positive long-term outcomes in COS. Our findings suggest that COS patients may benefit from early intervention and require appropriate treatment.</p>