Residential instability during adolescence predicts earlier age at onset of psychosis: The moderating role of extraversion.

Introduction: Residential instability (RI) during adolescence is associated with poor health outcomes. Also, extraversion has been shown to be a moderator of these associations. However, the associations between RI, extraversion, and age at onset of psychosis (AOP) remain unknown. Methods: Data were collected from patients with first‐episode psychosis (FEP). Linear regression models assessed the association between RI during adolescence and AOP. Extraversion was tested as a moderator using the interaction term RI‐by‐extraversion. Results: Among 89 participants with FEP, both RI (adjusted β = −.278, p =.006) and the interaction term RI‐by‐extraversion (adjusted β =.290, p <.001) were associated with earlier AOP. Stratified analyses showed that RI was only significantly associated with earlier AOP among those with low extraversion (adjusted β = −.598, p <.001). Conclusions: RI predicted earlier AOP and this association was moderated by extraversion. These findings suggest that extraversion may buffer the negative relationship between RI and AOP. Future research should replicate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]