Our hospital has chosen a model that goes beyond long-term hospital inpatient care to a community support for people with severe and persisting mental illnesses. This programme is called Community Support Programme (CSP) and focuses mainly on connecting patients who are being discharged from long-term hospitalization to a community based rehabilitation service.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the CSP among people with severe and persisting mental illness, as a method to support the positive outcomes and reduce the use of hospital resources after a discharge.

This is a retrospect, observational descriptive study. We reviewed 55 cases between 2017 and May of 2021. We analyzed demographic information, diagnosis, duration of stay in the CSP, number of hospitalizations before and after the program, number of emergency visits before and after this program and what kind of community rehabilitation services are connected after the discharge.

We found 58,2% male and 41,8% female. The main diagnoses were schizophrenia; schizoaffective and bipolar disorder. Before the CSP 85.4% of the patients had been hospitalized, and 76% had attended in a psychiatric emergency unit. After the discharge 36,36% required hospitalization, and 40% visited the psychiatric emergencies units. 54,54% of patients didn’t require hospital resources after their discharge from CSP.

The results suggest that the CSP helps to avoid hospitalization, reduce the use of hospital resources and drop outs. It helps the transition from hospitalization to a community based rehabilitation service.

No significant relationships.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in individuals with SMI. The sedentary lifestyle that usually guides these individuals associated with the use of some psychotropic drugs increases the risk of adverse events related to these pathologies

Presentation of the Study Protocol for the Implementation of a Psychoeducational Group directed to Prevention and Monitoring Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in patients with SMI

It is intended to implement a psychoeducational program, which includes a 30-minute walk, focused on healthy lifestyle habits, for 16 weeks.

It is intended to include SMI individuals, from a convenience sample, who present any of these criteria: Excess weight; At risk or diagnosed with DM; Sedentary lifestyle; Smoker. Data regarding socio-demographic, clinical and motivational for and about physical activity will be collected from the intervention group. Patients who refuse to join the study will only receive information about lifestyle changes at the beginning and will continue with their usual care.

According to available literature, it is expected that the monitoring and control of these parameters will translate into a benefit in reducing cardiovascular risk factors and optimizing the treatment of MS, contributing to the empowerment of patients in managing their disease and increasing their quality and years of life.

The impact of lifestyle changes proved to be effective and are sometimes lasting, with objective gains in quality of life of these patients. The main measure to face this issue, improve the well-being and physical health of these individuals, is to reduce weight and increase baseline physical activity.

No significant relationships.

Currently, there are known problems of assessing the severity of psychopathological states based on psychometric (rank) scales [1]. The main problem: ranks are non-numeric information that does not allow the simplest mathematical operations (summation, average) [2] and, as a result, the impossibility of constructing correct models for evaluating states

Development of algorithms for processing initial rank information about the severity of psychopathological states in order to obtain results in numerical form based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) [2]

Clinical, statistical, algorithms of the AHP.

The problems of assessing the patient’s states are multicriteria. They are solved within the framework of AHP by constructing numerical intensity scales when measuring the dimensions of disorders. This means a correct transition from the rank scale to the scale of relations, in which the estimates are numbers that allow any mathematical operations. The implementation of AHP procedures is based on the application of the AHP normative approach [2], which uses expert comparisons of ratings of the rank scale.

The fundamental difference between the results based on AHP and rank results is due to the fact that numerical estimates of the severity of states are obtained, which can be used for any mathematical processing and the construction of correct models of communication and prediction of the state of patients from many factors, taking into account their weight. References: 1. Zimmerman M., Morgan T.A., Stanton K. World Psychiatry. 2018;17: 258–275. 2. Mitikhin, V.G., Solokhina, T.A. S.S. Korsakov Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry. 2019; 119(2): 49-54.

No significant relationships.

In light of rising incidence rates and a mostly late diagnosis, renal cell cancer (RCC) patients are heavily burdened by both their disease and treatment. The structured assessment of their quality of life using patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures is important in order to provide them with appropriate interventions to maintain or improve their quality of life. Available questionnaires are predominantly symptom indices or were developed without conducting patient interviews.

Hence, we report on the ongoing phase I development of an EORTC module for RCC patients, which will be used together with the EORTC QLQ-C30 core questionnaire.

Following the EORTC Quality of Life Group’s Module Development Guidelines, a systematic literature review was conducted. Based on this review, issues were extracted and presented to healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients for relevance assessment.

133 publications (14 on the development of RCC-specific PRO measures, 3 qualitative studies, 37 randomised controlled trials, 79 quantitative studies) were identified from which 150 unique issues were extracted. The issue list was reviewed by 14 HCPs (8 clinicians, 3 nurses, 2 psychooncologists, 1 physiotherapist) from 3 countries (Austria, Norway, United Kingdom) and rated regarding their relevance. An additional 13 issues were mentioned in the HCP interviews and included in the issue list.

The extended list of issues is currently used to interview patients. Data collection is expected to be completed by the conference, thus the poster will present the combined relevance scores (HCPs and patients) and the issues selected for the preliminary module to be tested in phase 3.

This study is funded by the EORTC Quality of Life Group (Grant 007/2019).

The 2021 Research Summer School took place virtually, and 7 psychiatric trainees or early career psychiatrists (ECPs) from 7 different European countries participated in a working group on how to conduct a cross-sectional survey study.

To provide an overview of the process of developing an internationally collaborative protocol during the EPA Virtual Research Summer School.

All participants were asked by the Faculty mentor chairing this working group to write a research question that could be investigated through a cross-sectional survey. After a brainstorming discussion, it was decided to investigate the experiences, knowledge, and attitudes of psychiatric trainees and ECPs about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Europe, an effective yet controversial procedure.

The process of developing a protocol entailed different phases. First, a literature search was conducted, which supported the need to explore more the attitudes towards ECT among ECPs. Through group discussion the study’s objectives were decided, as well as the most appropriate methodology (including data collection and questionnaire use). At the end of the course, the core of the research plan was presented to all participants at the Research Summer School, preceding its implementation.

Participating in the EPA Research Summer School is a unique experience, a great learning opportunity, and can also lead to fruitful collaborations. It enabled the learning of the key aspects of designing and conducting a survey. In a short period of time, it was possible to design a study protocol for a future international cross-sectional survey on ECT.

No significant relationships.

Managing healthcare data is a major challenge for today’s medicine. The use of artificial intelligence and big data tools has allowed solving questions related to this topic. However, the wide heterogeneity in the psychiatric consultation record makes the retrospective analysis of these data limited due to a lack of information or differences between specialists.

We aim to develop a platform that allows the structured record of medical care data (based on dementia) while maintaining flexibility and format for its usefulness during clinical practice in psychiatry.

We developed a web-based platform for the structured and semi-structured record of psychiatric evaluation. The instrument is diagnosed-oriented (for our version we used dementia). We used Core outcome sets and expert opinion to identify the relevant outcomes for the attention.

A web-based platform is presented for the care of people with suspected dementia at different levels of care designed with the potential to record information of interest in research but also of clinical utility for closer follow-up.

This strategy allows developing the proposal towards other pathologies of interest. Also, with the integration of recommendation algorithms, a monitoring and recommendation system could be achieved to promote knowledge of psychiatric illness from routine practice. This proposal intends to have an impact by increasing the quality of care, reducing care times, and providing better approaches from primary care systems.

No significant relationships.

A feeling of restrictiveness is often associated with coercive practices, such as seclusion or restraint. In addition to these obvious procedures more subtle practices can also feel restrictive. Its registration and monitoring is of special importance in forensic mental health care since feelings of restrictiveness can lead to adverse events like increased aggression and suicidal intentions.

To enable the registration of the experience of restrictiveness in forensic mental health settings in Germany, the Forensic Restrictiveness Questionnaire was translated from English into German.

Method: We used the TRAPD approach presented by Harkness (2003). This approach combined the expertise of professional translators and clinical experts and enabled adaptation at an early stage. The developed version underwent a cognitive pretest with a small patient sample to check for comprehensibility and interpretation of the questions in line with the original authors intention.

A preliminary translation of the FRQ was developed. Translators combined their expertise from linguistic and clinical practice as well as their knowledge about English and German culture to produce a translation as close as possible to the original questionnaire with necessary adaptations. Remaining uncertainties, e.g., regarding comprehensibility of long phrases or uniform interpretation of certain wordings or questions, were addressed in the cognitive pretest with patients. The version produced can be used for validation.

Conclusion: The TRAPD approach produced a comprehensible and well adapted German translation of the FRQ. This version underwent a cognitive pretest by a small patient sample and is now ready for validation.

No significant relationships.

Background: Recently, a new instrument, the Guilt And Shame Proneness Scale has been developed and showed promising psychometric properties. However, the Italian version of the Instrument has not still been validated. In addition, despite the growing number of studies on the topic, the knowledge regarding the role played by guilt, shame and rivalry in the relationship between pathological narcissism facets and suicidal ideation.

To validate the Italian version of the Guilt And Shame Proneness Scale and to extend the knowledge regarding the relationships between guilt, shame, pathological narcissism and suicidality.

We administrated, to a sample of Italian adults, the Italian versions of the GASP, the Pathological Narcissism Inventory, the Beck Suicide Inventory and the Narcissism Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire.

The structural equation model testing the factorial structure of the Italian version of the GASP obtained a good fit. In addition, invariance among gender as well as other invariance tests were tested successfully. Finally, regression and mediation analyses showed that the subscale Shame Social withdraw mediate the relationship between Narcissism grandiosity and suicidal ideation. In contrast, rivalry and social withdraw in response to shame were no more predictive of suicidal ideation controlling for pathological narcissism levels.

The Italian version of the GASP appears promising to deepen the investigation of the pathological personality topic.

No significant relationships.

Brodalumab, an anti-IL17RA monoclonal antibody, is a treatment option for plaque psoriasis related to increased risk of suicidal ideation and behavior, including completed suicide.However, in the literature no causal relationship is reported, and the reported incidence of patients receiving brodalumab that committed suicide did not differ from the expected suicide incidence of the general population.

Our objective is to answer the followings:1) What is the probability of developing emotional disorders during treatment with brodalumab.2) What is the recurrence rate of previously diagnosed emotional disorders in brodalumab responders (Kaplan-Meier curve). 3) What is the relationship between suicide and/or suicidal ideation in patients receiving treatment with brodalumab.

The study will enroll patients with moderate to severe psoriasis (aged 18-70) that attend the outpatient dermatology, and who already receive or are eligible to receive treatment with brodalumab. Patients who are willing to participate in the study will be provided with the self-completing questionnaires PHQ-9, GAD-7, RASS, HRQoL. During follow-up, if a patient presents with a PHQ> 9, will be referred for an HDRS evaluation in which if score> 17 in at least 2 scores or an increase in the RASS scale is detected, will be referred for psychiatric intervention.

Assessments will take place a) before treatment , b) 2 weeks after initiation of treatment with brodalumab , c) every month for the first 3 months, and e) on a quarterly basis up to 52 weeks.

This study will focus on creating a protocol for the safe use of brodalumab in psoriasis patients with concomitant psychological/psychiatric comorbidities.

No significant relationships.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is usually diagnosed in adulthood, around childbearing age. Research has shown that BD has deleterious effects on pregnant women and birth outcomes. However, few nationwide studies using administrative data have approached this at-risk population focusing specifically on childbirth.

This study aims to characterize hospitalizations of women with BD in the peripartum period regarding sociodemographic and clinical variables and to investigate the impact BD has on hospitalization outcomes.

An observational retrospective study will be performed using an administrative database that comprises routinely collected hospitalization data from all mainland Portuguese public hospitals. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes will be used to identify all women’s admissions for childbirth purposes (V27.X) and codes 296.XX (except 296.2X, 296.3X, 296.9X) will be used to ascertain BD. Episodes will be assigned to one of two mutually exclusive groups (with vs without BD). Multivariate methods will be used to compare both groups concerning key variables and outcomes. This work will comply with the RECORD statement recommendations.

Descriptive and analytical statistics will be conducted in order to describe and characterize this group of patients. Results will be presented as crude and adjusted odds ratio quantifying the risk associated with BD in pregnancy, childbirth and hospitalization outcomes. Findings will be disseminated via publication in peer-reviewed journals.

With this nationwide analysis, we expect to contribute to a better understanding of the demographic and clinical profile of pregnant women with BD and to encourage timely medical and psychological interventions during gestation and childbirth.

No significant relationships.

People with severe psychiatric disorders (SPD) who experience housing vulnerability have to negotiate discontinuous mental health care pathways including poor access to common rights services and an increased risk of incarceration. To reduce morbidity and improve social integration of these people, Médecins du Monde (NGO), in association with the Ministry of Justice and APHM, is piloting the experimentation of an alternative to prison through assertive community treatment (ACT) and independent housing for people with SPS without housing who are referred to the court for immediate appearance.

The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of the innovative program (AILSI) compared to usual services by assessing the duration of re-incarceration at 18 months of follow up.

The AILSI project has been certified as a Social Impact Bond, in which private investors support the program, with the guarantee that the French government will reimburse the investments if social impact outcomes are met. To measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the program, a randomized controlled study was designed: 100 patients will be included in the AILSI group (intervention) and 120 in the TAU group (usual services). Four social impact outcomes are identified: inclusion rate, signed leases rate, total length of re-incarceration and total resource use. It is a mixed quali-quanti research, which integrates a matching to administrative health and judicial databases.

Inclusions are ongoing.

The AILSI program and the research methods used are described herein. In addition, detailed information on the limitations and strengths of the SIB system are also discussed.

No significant relationships.

Bipolar Disorder (BD) is one of the most challenging and severe psychiatric disorders. Considerable research in BD patients points to deficits in Facial Emotion Recognition (FER) as a potential BD endophenotype. Accordingly, such deficits have also been found in unaffected BD first-degree relatives, but no study has been conducted to synthetize this evidence.

To conduct a systematic review of studies exploring FER deficits in first-degree relatives of patients with BD.

PRISMA 2020 recommendations will be followed. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and SciELO electronic bibliographic databases will be searched, as well as grey literature. Reference lists of the included studies will be hand-searched for additional eligible studies. Search strategy will include key-terms in accordance with the pre-established PICOS definition. No restrictions will apply regarding study design, setting, publication date nor language. Outcomes of interest will be FER deficits. Retrieved studies will be screened for eligibility by two independent reviewers using a two-phase approach. The methodological quality of primary studies will be assessed and data extracted independently using a standardized extraction form.

will be described using narrative and tabular approaches. Studies heterogeneity will be verified and if adequate a meta-analysis will be conducted. Findings will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication.

It is expected that this systematic review will support the hypothesis that FER deficits may constitute a potential candidate for a BD endophenotype, which will not only improve the understanding of BD neurobiology, but also enable its identification in earlier stages, allowing timely treatments and better patients’ outcomes.

No significant relationships.

The role of the white blood cells, which form the peripheral immune system and are crucial in inflammatory processes, has been laid aside in the context of brain structural changes in schizophrenia.

Determine how blood cells are associated with some brain structures volumes in first episode psychosis (FEP) and their relationship with clinical variables at baseline and 1 year follow – up.

Fifty drug-naïve FEP treated between April 2013 and July 2017 at the ETEP Program at Hospital del Mar were included. Inclusion criteria were: 1) age 18-35 years; 2) fulfillment of DSM-IV-TR criteria for brief psychotic disorder, schizophreniform disorder, schizophrenia or unspecified psychosis; 3) no previous history of severe neurological medical conditions or severe traumatic brain injury; 4) presumed IQ level > 80, and 5) no substance abuse or dependence disorders except for cannabis and/or nicotine use. All patients underwent an assessment at baseline and at one-year follow-up, including sociodemographic and clinical variables (substance use, DUP, PANSS, GAF and CDSS). Fasting blood samples were obtained before administering any medication at baseline. Structural T1 MRI was performed at baseline and brain volumes were quantified though FreeSurfer software. SPSS program was used for statistical analyzes.

Lymphocytes have a positive correlation with right and left hippocampus at baseline. Moreover, lymphocytes have a negative correlation with depressive symptoms at baseline and 1 year follow – up.

Lymphocytes may have a protective effect in some brain structures in FEP patients at baseline, especially those implicated in depressive symptoms.

No significant relationships.

Schizophrenia is characterized by impairments in motivation and coping and decrements in psychosocial functioning in major life areas.

This study attempted to examine the links between treatment motivation, coping, and psychosocial functioning for persons with schizophrenia. Design: Cross-sectional survey.

One hundred thirty-eight participants were recruited at random from outpatient psychosocial rehabilitation programs in Moscow-based psychiatric hospitals. The measures of motivation were administered by testers blind to scores on other study variables; measures of coping (COPE, CERQ) and psychosocial functioning (PSP, EQ5D5L, SF36, Q-Les-Q-18) were administered. Data were analyzed using latent construct modeling to test for mediator and moderator effects.

There were strong bivariate relationships between coping, motivation, and psychosocial functioning. The results demonstrated that coping strongly mediated the relationship between motivation and psychosocial functioning. This mediation was evidenced by: 1) the direct path from motivation to a functional outcome no longer being statistically significant after introducing coping into the model; 2) the statistical significance of the indirect path from motivation through coping to functional outcome. There was no support for the moderation hypotheses.

Motivation influences psychosocial functioning through its relationship with coping, and coping is a critical mechanism for explaining the relationship between motivation and psychosocial functioning. These results will be compared with work on motivation, neurocognition, and psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia (Nakagami et al. 2008), as well as with gender issues. Professionals working with schizophrenia patients should consider such variables as coping when designing and implementing gender-sensitive intervention programs.

No significant relationships.

Previously, environmental vulnerability for schizophrenia assessed through exposome score for schizophrenia (ES-SCZ) was associated with the risk for psychosis development.

The current study aims to investigate the longitudinal association between ES-SCZ and symptom severity in individuals with first episode psychosis (FEP) to understand how environmental exposures affect illness course.

Baseline and 1-month follow-up assessments were available for 225 individuals with FEP from the Athens FEP Research Study. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to measure clinical features. In accordance with previous reports, the ES-SCZ was calculated by summing log-odds weighted environmental exposures (childhood adversities, winter birth, and cannabis use). To model the course of clinical features over time the effects of the ES-SCZ-by-time interaction, ES-SCZ, and time were analyzed with multilevel regression analyses. Age, sex, and education were added as covariates

The analyses of change of PANSS total score over time indicated that clinical features decreased from baseline to the 1-month follow-up assessment. The association between ES-SCZ and PANSS total score were not statistically significant. The analyses of the PANSS total score over time indicated an ES-SCZ-by-time interaction (B = 2.82 [95% CI 0.28; 5.35], P-value = 0.029), meaning the decrease of the PANSS total score over time were dependent on ES-SCZ and individuals with high ES-SCZ showed less improvement

The findings show that the total environmental predisposition to schizophrenia (ES-SCZ) not only increases the risk for psychosis development but may also influences the illness course.

No significant relationships.

Disengagement from care in early psychosis is frequent. In outpatient general psychiatric services rates range from 17 % to 60 %. In early intervention programs, rates range from 14 % to 33 % at two years. In Europe, a study reported an initial drop out rate at 48 %.

Measure intensity of care during two years after first hospitalization in a schizophrenia spectrum disorder population. Search for a difference between lost and maintained follow-up patients.

A monocentric retrospective study was conducted. All patients aged 16 to 30 with at least one hospitalization for schizophrenia spectrum disorder from January 2013 to December 2018 in CHAC were included. First hospitalization medical charts and all (social, nurse, psychologist, psychiatrist) outpatient appointments were assessed. A monthly mean of all appointments (MMA) was calculated for each patient. Lost or maintained groups at two years were compared with a Mann-Whitney test.

Among 48 patients, 52,1 % (N=25) disengaged from initial follow up within 2 years. The MMA for (N=46) patients was 1,45 (SD 1,35), 0,5 (SD 0,33) for psychiatrists. For lost patients, the MMA was 1,35 (SD 1,40) compared to 1,55 (SD 1,32) for maintained. No significant difference was found : U=229,50 p=0,45.

At two years, care appears more intensive for maintained patients than for lost ones, but no significant difference was found.

No significant relationships.

Various studies have reported differences in early visual processing, gain control and integration for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). However, Oppel – Kundt (OK) illusion is not studied well enough among subjects affected by SSD. We decided to study the illusion to get more insights in visual perception for individuals with SSD.

To investigate the OK illusion manifestation among people with SSD.

In the prospective study were included 15 patients, who were diagnosed with SSD and 15 matched comparison group (CG) without any mental, neurological diseases or visual impairment. OK figures used in the experiments consisted of three white spots presented horizontally against the black background. We used 3 different types of distractor stimuli – either straight one or two-sided line or circle. Using computerized equipment in OK figures the subjects were asked to adjust the unfilled part of the stimulus to be equal in length to the filled (referential) one. ANOVA, T-test and post hoc Bonferroni correction were used for statistical analysis.

People with SSD tended to make bigger mistakes when evaluating OK figures with the statistical difference which was the most eminent for the subgroup of individuals affected by paranoid schizophrenia. The manifestation of the illusion in the SSD group was contrariwise (respectively to zero point) to the CG group.

OK illusion tended to manifest stronger for patients with SSD, this tendency was mostly expressed for the patients diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The manifestation of OK illusion among persons with SSD was diametrically opposite to that seen for the healthy individuals.

No significant relationships.

The first years after a first-episode psychosis are crucial, and a comprehensive approach is essential.

Our objective is to observe the characteristics of patients attending Early Psychosis Intervention Programme in (PITP) of the Mental Health Clinical Management Unit (UGC) of the Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga between the years 2016-2020.

Data for this retrospective study were derived from 135 patients included in the PITP database between the years 2016-2020 from the Mental Health UGC of the Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga. Descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0. For the comparison of variables, Student’s t was used for quantitative variables and Chi square for dichotomous ones.

68% of the patients were men, compared to 32% women. The mean age of the patients at the beginning of the Programme was 30.76 years. 85% were 40 years or younger. 67.4% lived with their family of origin. 58.5% of the patients have had at least one hospitalization in Psychiatry. 45.9% of the patients were smokers, 33.3% consumed alcohol and 59.3% consumed other drugs. From the patients who started the Programme, 38.5% continue with the follow-up, 22.2% were discharged and 39.3% abandoned it. More results will be presented on the poster.

In conclusion, the patients included in the PITP of our UGC present characteristics compatible with the current bibliography. The high percentage of withdrawal from the Programme stands out, this being a very important point to address and improve.

No significant relationships.

A major pathophysiological hypothesis of schizophrenia states an increased activity of glutamatergic neurons leading to an imbalance of neural excitation and inhibition (E/I-imbalance). One potential molecular mechanism of E/I-imbalance is a dysfunction of voltage-gated sodium channels, which are crucial for the generation of action potentials, the fundamental event of neuronal excitation. Indeed, patients with schizophrenia exhibit an increased burden of rare exonic variants of sodium channel genes, but the literature describing their electrophysiological effect is scarce.

The aim of this project is to assess the functional impact of three mutations of the Sodium Voltage-Gated Channel Alpha Subunit 2 (SCN2A) gene / NaV1.2 channel which were identified in four patients with schizophrenia, using a heterologous expression system.

Three variants of the human SCN2A gene (R850P, V1282F and S1656P) were created using site-directed mutagenesis. HEK293T cells transfected with either the mutant or wild type constructs are being investigated by voltage-clamp technique, applying activation, steady-state fast inactivation, use dependency and ramp protocols.

All three mutated constructs were successfully created. Preliminary recordings from the V1282F mutant indicate a shift of both the activation and steady-state fast inactivation to the hyperpolarized direction.

In a subgroup of patients, E/I imbalance may be a consequence of Nav1.2 mutations leading to increased excitability of glutamatergic neurons. By integrating insights from different mutations we aim to identify traits of a potentially shared disease pathway which may provide a basis for the development of novel therapeutics.

No significant relationships.

Delusions are a key feature of schizophrenia psychopathology. From a phenomenological approach, Jaspers (1913) differentiates between “primary” or true schizophrenic delusions, defined as an unmediated phenomenon that cannot be understood in terms of prior psychological origin or motivation, and “secondary” delusions, understandable from the patient’s mood state or personality. Primary delusions have been considered the hallmark of reality distorsion dimension in schizophrenia, disregarding a possible affective patwhay to delusional belief.

The present study was aimed at elucidating the psychopathological trajectories to delusion in schizophrenia through the investigation of both affective and schizotypal trait dispositions.

Seventy-eight participants affected by schizophrenia were administered the Peters Delusional Inventory (PDI), the Positive and Negative Affective Scale (PANAS), the Experience of Shame Scale (ESS), the Referential Thinking Scale (REF), the Magical Ideation Scale (MIS) and the Perceptual Aberration Scale (PAS).

The severity of delusional ideation (PDI) was positively related to both affective (PANAS positive dimension, ESS) and schizotypal traits (MIS, PAS and REF). Moreover, referential thinking (REF) mediated the relationship between “magical ideation” (MIS) and delusions severity (Fig. 1), whereas experience of shame (ESS) was a moderating factor in the between referential thinking and delusion severity (Fig. 2).

The study findings suggest that in schizophrenia patients, severity of delusions is underpinned by an intertwining of both affective and schizotypal pathways.

No significant relationships.