[Purpose] Recovery in people with first-episode psychosis (FEP) remains a major issue. When risk factors are studied in relation to the disorder, potential protective factors should also be considered since they can modulate this relationship. This study is aimed at exploring which premorbid and baseline characteristics are associated with a good and poor global recovery in patients with FEP at 3-year follow-up.[Methods] We categorized patients’ outcome by using a Latent Class Analysis (LCA) considering a multimodal set of symptomatic and functional outcomes. A Mixed effects Models Repeated Measures analysis of variance (MMRM) was used to highlight group differences over time on symptomatic and functional outcomes assessed during the 3-year follow-up.[Results] A total of 325 patients with FEP aged between 18 and 35 years were included. Two groups were identified. A total of 187 patients (57.5%) did not achieve recovery, and 138 patients (42.5%) achieved recovery. Recovered patients had generally a better premorbid and baseline profile in comparison with non-recovered patients (as among which shorter duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), higher degree of insight, better functional level and lower illness severity at baseline). The trajectories for the psychopathological and functional outcomes over 36 months differed between the non-recovered and the recovered group of patients.[Conclusions] Our results pointed to some variables associated with recovery, acting as potential protective factors. These should be considered for early intervention programs to promote psychological resilience specifically in those with a worse prognosis in order to mitigate the effects of the variables that make them more vulnerable to poorer outcome.This work was supported by the Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) [predoctoral grant number 2022 FI_B2 00047, given to CSA]. Also, by the Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut of the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) through the program “Ajuts per a estades de recerca a l'estranger per a fomentar la menció de Doctor Internacional durant els curs 2022–2023” for predoctoral students of the Programa de Doctorat de Medicina i Recerca Translacional [given to the first author].Peer reviewe
