Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Schizophrenia
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1537418
This article is part of the Research Topic Violence and Mental Health. Focus on Schizophrenia Spectrum and Psychotic Disorders View all 3 articles

Network Analysis of Clinical Features in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia

Provisionally accepted
Wei Li Wei Li 1Jing Zhao Jing Zhao 2Na Hu Na Hu 3*Wanling Zhang Wanling Zhang 3,4*
  • 1 Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 2 Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 3 Beijing Children’s Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 4 Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: This study compares the clinical features of Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia (TRS) and Non-Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia (NTRS) using network analysis.: We recruited 511 patients, dividing them into TRS (N = 269) and NTRS (N = 242) groups. Eight scales were used: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Positive Symptom Assessment Scale (SAPS), Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS), Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale (AIMS), Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS), Calgary Schizophrenia Depression Scale (CDSS), and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). Demographic and clinical data were analyzed using T-tests and Chi-square tests. Network analysis was then applied to compare clinical features.Results: Significant differences were found in the overall architectures (S = 1.396, p < 0.002) and edge weights (M = 0.289, p < 0.009) of TRS and NTRS networks. Nine edges (p < 0.05) and five nodes (p < 0.01) differed, indicating a correlation between clinical symptoms of the two groups. TRS core symptoms were linked to social functions through both positive (SAPS) and negative symptoms (SANS), while NTRS core symptoms were related to general psychopathological symptoms (PANSS-G).For TRS, it is essential to address both negative and positive symptoms, focusing on the impact of negative symptoms on functioning. Additionally, managing medication side effects is crucial to avoid worsening negative symptoms.

    Keywords: TRS, NTRS, Network analysis, Psychopathological symptoms, Clinical features

    Received: 30 Nov 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Li, Zhao, Hu and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Na Hu, Beijing Children’s Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100045, Beijing Municipality, China
    Wanling Zhang, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.