Are adult stressful life events associated with psychotic relapse? A systematic review of 23 studies.

Are adult stressful life events associated with psychotic relapse? A systematic review of 23 studies. Psychol Med. 2020 Oct 15;:1-15 Authors: Martland N, Martland R, Cullen AE, Bhattacharyya S Abstract Relapse rates among individuals with psychotic disorders are high. In addition to the financial burden placed on clinical services, relapse is associated with worse long-term prognosis and poorer quality of life. Robust evidence indicates that stressful life events commonly precede the onset of the first psychotic episode; however, the extent to which they are associated with relapse remains unclear. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize available research investigating the association between recent stressful life events and psychotic relapse or relapse of bipolar disorder if the diagnosis included psychotic symptoms. PsycINFO, Medline and EMBASE were searched for cross-sectional, retrospective and prospective studies published between 01/01/1970 and 08/01/2020 that investigated the association between adult stressful life events and relapse of psychosis. Study quality was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project guidelines. Twenty-three studies met eligibility criteria (prospective studies: 14; retrospective studies: 6; cross-sectional: 3) providing data on 2046 participants in total (sample size range: 14-240 participants). Relapse was defined as a return of psychotic symptoms (n = 20), a return of sym...
Source: Psychological Medicine - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Psychol Med Source Type: research