Diminished social motivation in early psychosis is associated with polygenic liability for low vitamin D

Insufficiency of vitamin D levels often occur in individuals with schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis (FEP). However, it is unknown whether this represents a biological predisposition, or it is essentially driven by illness-related alterations in lifestyle habits. Lower vitamin D has also been associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes and predominant negative psychotic symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of polygenic risk score for circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration (PRS-vitD) to symptom presentation among individuals with FEP enrolled in the Athens First-Episode Psychosis Research Study (AthensFEP n = 205) and the Psychosis Incident Cohort Outcome Study (PICOS n = 123). The severity of psychopathology was evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale at baseline and follow-up assessments (AthensFEP: 4-weeks follow-up, PICOS: 1-year follow-up). Premorbid intelligence and adjustment domains were also examined as proxy measures of neurodevelopmental deviations. An inverse association between PRS-vitD and severity of negative symptoms, in particular lack of social motivation, was detected in the AthensFEP at baseline (adjusted R2 = 0.04, p < 0.001) and follow-up (adjusted R2 = 0.03, p < 0.01). The above observation was independently validated in PICOS at follow-up (adjusted R2 = 0.06, p < 0.01). No evidence emerged for a relationship between PRS-vitD and premorbid measures of intelligence and adjustment, likely not supporting an impact of lower PRS-vitD on developmental trajectories related to psychotic illness. These findings suggest that polygenic vulnerability to reduced vitamin D impairs motivation and social interaction in individuals with FEP, thereby interventions that encourage outdoor activities and social engagement in this patient group might attenuate enduring negative symptoms

Fear of COVID-19 Impact on Professional Quality of Life among Mental Health Workers

Several studies have examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers’ mental health, but only a few have investigated its detrimental effect on the mental well-being of mental health workers (MHWs). Background: The current study aimed to explore the effect of the fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19) on professional quality of life dimensions, namely compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) in MHWs above and beyond sociodemographic and professional factors. Methods: Hierarchical linear regression models were employed to examine the relationship of extreme FCV-19 with CS, BO, and STS in MHWs (n = 224), after considering sociodemographic variables as potential confounding factors. Extreme FCV-19 was operationalized as a binary variable with a cut-off score of ≥16.5 considered as extreme fear. Results: We found that extreme FCV-19 in MHWs is linked with increased compassion fatigue (BO and STS), and this relationship is exacerbated by younger age in regard to BO and by female gender concerning STS. CS remains unaffected by severe FCV-19, and it is higher in older participants. Conclusion: Organizational support is required to protect MHWs’ mental well-being and ensure the quality of care they provide during prolonged crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures that intensify a sense of safety, protection, and control against COVID-19 infections in mental health services should be included in the recommendations that may reduce BO and STS among MHWs

Cognitive Inflexibility Predicts Negative Symptoms Severity in Patients with First-Episode Psychosis: A 1-Year Follow-Up Study

Negative symptoms and cognitive deficits play a major role in psychosis and significantly influence the functional outcomes of patients, particularly those with a first episode of psychosis (FEP). However, limited research has explored the predictive capacity of cognitive deficits during FEP for subsequent negative symptomatology. Drawing from the Athens FEP research study, we conducted a retrospective longitudinal study in 80 individuals with FEP. All patients were drug naive at admission. Cognitive tests were administered at 1-month and 1-year post-admission, while negative symptomatology was assessed at the same time points using PANSS by trained raters. We considered confounding factors such as age, gender, duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), treatment received, premorbid social adjustment, and premorbid IQ. Univariate regression analysis identified cognitive domains that correlated with negative symptomatology. These, along with the confounders, were incorporated into a multiple regression, with the 1-year PANSS negative scale serving as the dependent variable. Employing the backward elimination technique, we found a statistically significant inverse relationship between the categories completed in the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) and the 1-year PANNS negative scale (p = 0.01), beyond the associations with DUP and the 1-month PANSS negative scale. Our results suggest that cognitive flexibility, a key component of executive functions, predicts negative symptom severity one year after FEP