Long-term stability of diagnosis and symptom dimensions in a systematic sample of patients with onset of schizophrenia in childhood and early adolescence. II: Postnegative distinction and childhood predictors of adult outcome.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to verify the presence and stability across life of the positive/negative distinction in early-onset schizophrenia (EO-SZ) through a longitudinal factor analysis of the schizophrenic dimensions, and to identify the factors predicting several indices of long-term outcome for EO-SZ.
METHOD: Forty children consecutively referred for DSM-III-R schizophrenia (SZ) in a specific catchment area comprised the sample.
RESULTS: Across a 14.8-year follow-up, longitudinal factor analysis identified two separate factors corresponding to the positive and negative symptom dimensions. We also observed that: the GAS rated over the last three years of adult illness and the severity of negative symptoms during the stabilised interepisode intervals in adulthood were the indices of adult outcome that were most easily predicted; and the best childhood predictors of adult outcome were premorbid functioning and severity of positive and negative symptoms during acute episodes.
CONCLUSIONS: The presence of premorbid non-psychotic behaviour disturbances (NPBD) and premorbid developmental problems was not related to severity of outcome, in contrast to the former variables.