# 1/3-Community psychosis risk screening: An instrument development study Supplement

> **NIH NIH R01** · TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH · 2022 · $121,036

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The proposed study aims to develop a brief, valid screening questionnaire to identify individuals at risk for
psychosis in non-clinical populations across 3 large, community catchment areas with diverse populations.
This is a critical study, as the current screening tools for at-risk psychotic populations have only been validated
in clinical and/or treatment seeking samples, which likely do not generalize outside of these specialized
settings. The proposed project will administer 3 well-known psychosis risk screeners, as well as additional
symptom-based (e.g., depression, anxiety, etc.) and risk-factor based questionnaires (e.g., cannabis and other
substance use, a family history of major mental disorders, trauma history) to 6,000 adolescents/young adults in
local communities across 3 demographically diverse sites (Philadelphia, Baltimore, and the greater Chicago
areas). Based on established cut-off scores from the 3 psychosis screeners, 1,560 subjects deemed as
questionnaire higher risk (n=780; QHR) and questionnaire lower risk (n=780; QLR) for psychosis (estimated
sample sizes based on pilot data) will be invited to complete semi-structured interviews to determine clinical
high risk (CHR) for psychosis status based on the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS)
and to assess current/past major mental disorders based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-
5). Based on preliminary data and conservative estimates, we anticipate that 117 of the QHR group will be
considered CHR for psychosis. The specific aims are as follows: 1) to determine norms and prevalence rates
of attenuated positive psychotic symptoms across 3 diverse, community catchment areas and 2) to develop a
questionnaire screener, using both symptom-based and risk factor-based questionnaires, that is validated
against the SIPS to identify those at CHR for psychosis. This is the first study in the U.S. to determine the rate
of subthreshold psychotic symptoms across diverse samples, which is essential for investigations using
dimensional approaches to psychotic disorders. Further, the proposed study will develop an essential
screening tool that will identify which individuals have the greatest need for follow-up with structured interviews
in CHR studies or clinical settings to determine psychosis-risk status. This tool is critical given findings that
those who develop psychotic disorders often do not seek treatment until after the onset of the disorder, and
that duration of untreated psychosis is associated with more serious clinical outcomes. The proposed study
has the potential for major contributions to the early detection and prevention of psychotic disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10476012
- **Project number:** 3R01MH112613-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** LAUREN M ELLMAN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $121,036
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10476012

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10476012, 1/3-Community psychosis risk screening: An instrument development study Supplement (3R01MH112613-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10476012. Licensed CC0.

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