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Sex Differences in Childhood Trauma and Medical Comorbidities in Individuals with Psychosis: A Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network Study

Poster Session C - Sunday, March 8, 2026, 5:00 – 7:00 pm PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Prachi Patel¹ (), Rebekah Trotti¹, Brendan Stiltner¹, Victor Zheng¹, Pegah Seif¹, David Parker², Elliot Gershon³, Godfrey Pearlson⁴, Sarah Keedy³, Brett Clementz², Carol Tamminga⁵, Matcheri Keshavan¹, Elisabetta del Re¹; ¹Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA., ²Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, BioImaging Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA., ³Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA., ⁴Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA., ⁵Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.

Childhood trauma (CHT) is a risk factor for psychosis and individuals with psychosis (IWP) have shortened lifespans due to medical comorbidities. Previous research indicates women with psychosis show higher rates of trauma and medical comorbidities than men, yet few studies have investigated the relationship of sex differences between chronic psychosis, CHT, and medical comorbidities. Additionally, understanding if these relationships are explained by aging, illness duration, and medication side effects is important for future investigations. Here, we investigated these factors. Participants (healthy controls: n=384, IWP: n=729) were recruited to a multi-site consortium study. CHT was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ); medical comorbidities were measured using a medical history assessment. Female IWP reported greater sexual abuse(p<0.001) and medical comorbidities rates than male IWP(p<0.001). CTQ total scores and comorbidities correlated positively in both female(p<0.01) and male IWP(p=0.03). Age and comorbidities correlated stronger in IWP(p<0.0001,r=0.26) than in healthy controls(p<0.0001,r=0.24), possibly due to accelerated aging in psychosis. Additionally, illness duration correlated with the total number of comorbidities while covarying for age(p<0.0001,r=0.20), suggesting that the effect of illness duration is stronger than age. In IWP, chlorpromazine equivalents correlated with comorbidities in females only(p<0.01,r=0.24). This study provides insights into sex-specific relationships between trauma and medical comorbidities in psychosis and supports targeted prevention and tailored treatment plans focusing on women.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Development & aging