Autistic symptoms and clinical features of individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis and first-episode psychosis

Introduction: Autistic symptoms in schizophrenia are reportedly associated with cognitive and social functions. However, few studies have investigated the association between autistic symptoms and clinical features in individuals with a clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P) and first-episode psychosis (FEP). We aimed to determine the association between autistic symptoms and clinical features in a cohort of individuals with CHR-P or FEP. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 111 participants (CHR-P: 61, FEP: 50). Autistic symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia Autism Severity Scale. We assessed the association between autistic symptoms and global and social functioning, and cognitive function in individuals with CHR-P or EFP. Multiple regression analysis was also performed using age and sex as covariates to determine the association between autistic symptoms and global functioning. Results: The participants with FEP had more severe autistic symptoms than those with CHR-P. The results of bivariate correlation analysis showed a significantly negative association of autistic symptoms with global and cognitive functions in both participants with CHR-P and those with FEP. Multiple regression analysis showed that sex, autistic symptoms, and positive symptoms were significant predictors of overall functioning in those participants. Conclusion: These findings suggest that autistic symptoms are associated with lower global functioning with both individuals at CHR-P and those with FEP. Further longitudinal analysis is needed to characterize the association between autistic symptoms and global functioning in CHR-P and FEP.