ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the characteristics of perceived stress and coping style and their relationship withsymptoms in college students with psychosis-risk syndrome (PRS).Methods:A two-stage screening process was conducted in 3160 college students.Participants were screened with 16-Item Version of the Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16).The students with scores of PQ-16 ≥9 were further interviewed with Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS).Twenty-two individuals who met the criteria of PRS on SIPS were enrolled as the PRS group.The control group (n =22) were randomly selected from the participants with scores of PQ-16 ＜9 who were matched with age,gender and education level.Two groups were assessed with Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS),Trait Coping Style Questionnaire (TCSQ) and Self-rating depression scale (SDS) to measure subjective stress,coping style and depressive symptoms.Results:PRS group reported higher CPSS total scores [(34 ± 8)vs.(22 ± 8)] and negative coping styles scores [(35 ± 5)vs.(28 ± 7)],and lowerTCSQ positive coping styles scores [(31 ±6)vs.(37 ±4)] than the controls (Ps ＜0.05).The CPSS scores in PRS group were positively correlated with the scores of negative coping style (r =0.57,P ＜0.01),and the SDS scores were positively correlated with CPSS total scores and scores of negative coping style (r--0.86,0.66,Ps ＜ 0.01).There was no significant relation of psychosis-risk symptoms to scores of CPSS and TCSQ (P ＞0.05).Conclusion:It suggests that college students with PRS have a higher perceived stress and tend to use more negative coping style,which may be positively correlated with depression.