Deficits in the sociosexual functioning of patients with first episodes and early onset schizophrenia: Impact on disease progression and sexological remediation strategies (NU21J-04-00024)
Basic information
Investigator: Mgr. Renáta Androvičová, PhD.
Main recipient: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Research period: 1/5/2021 - 31/12/2025
Total budget: 6,901,000 CZK
Supported by: Czech Agency Health Research Council (AZV ČR)
Annotation
Schizophrenia, a severe psychiatric disease with typical onset in early adulthood, is a major cause of disability and suicidality in young adults. Currently, only 13% of the disease burden is averted by standard treatment procedures. It is recognised that there is a pressing need of treatment optimisation based on patients’ individual needs that would go beyond the suppression of positive symptoms. Sociosexual functioning, especially engagement with opposite-sex peers during adolescence, has long been overlooked as a potential factor in schizophrenia and therefore rarely targeted in therapy. Recent studies, however, indicate that sociosexual functioning may be a domain-specific and reliable marker of disease onset, progression, and functional outcome, a factor that operates independently of neurocognitive deficits (e.g. processing speed and working memory) and social-cognitive deficits (e.g. general recognition of emotion and attribution of intentionality). Still, experimental evidence on specific sources of deficits in sociosexual functioning is missing and clinical need for evidence-based targeted strategies of sexual remediation remains unaddressed. In the proposed project, we will conduct a case-control investigation in first episode and early stages patients with schizophrenia (N=80), who will be re-evaluated for functional outcomes 12-months after disease onset. Our aims are: 1. to determine specific sources of deficits in sociosexual functioning using two targeted sexological experiments developed in our laboratory; 2. to analyse the role of sociosexual deficits in 12-months functional outcome assessment while controlling for neurocognitive deficits, social-cognitive deficits, and negative symptoms; and 3. based on our findings, to develop evidence-based guidelines for sociosexual remediation in early stages of schizophrenia in collaboration with international experts in sex medicine and therapy.