Acontecimientos vitales estresantes y primer episodio psicótico

This paper reviews and discusses the published information on stressful life events and their influence on the onset of a first psychotic episode. The aim is to update and promote further investigation into these events in the context of a stress-vulnerability model. Milestone studies that referred to the key thematic stressful life events, such as adolescence, coping, resilience, and ethnic differences. A search was conducted using PsycINFO, MEDLINE and PSICODOC between 1980 and 2013 using the following terms: Stressful life events, adolescence, coping, resilience, schizophrenia, stress, first psychotic episode, and vulnerability. A total of 289 studies were found, of which 59 were selected for review. The integrated assessment of stressful life events, along with other individual and contextual variables, allow an approach for an early detection and a prevention tool. The results suggest the need for a multiple and integrated approach, since there are several factors that are involved in the whole network which forms a first psychotic episode.