A longitudinal investigation of childhood communication ability and adolescent psychotic experiences in a community sample

Sarah A Sullivan,Linda Hollen,Yvonne Wren,Andrew D Thompson,Glyn Lewis,Stan Zammit

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2016.03.005

Abstract

BackgroundSome childhood speech and language impairments precede psychosis but it is not clear whether they also precede adolescent psychotic experiences and whether this association is specific to psychotic experiences. MethodsPragmatic language and expressive speech and language (parent-assessed using the Children's Communication Checklist) at age 9 and psychotic experiences and depression at ages 12 and 18 were investigated in 7659 participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Associations were investigated using multivariate modelling. ResultsPoorer pragmatic language at 9years was associated with psychotic experiences at both ages (12years OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.11, 1.34; 18years OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.10, 1.41) but only with depression at 18years (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.00, 1.22). Poorer expressive speech and language ability was not associated with psychotic experiences or depression at either age. There was evidence that pragmatic language was specifically associated with psychotic experiences at age 12 but no evidence that the strength of any of the associations changed over time. ConclusionsDeficits in pragmatic language precede early and late adolescent psychotic experiences and early adolescent depression. Interventions aimed at helping children improve pragmatic language skills may reduce the incidence of adolescent psychopathology and associated psychological disorder and dysfunction later in life.

Highlights

Psychotic experiences (PEs) are attenuated psychotic phenomena, similar to those experienced by those with a clinical disorder, and occurring in healthy populations
Childhood speech and language difficulties e.g. with using language in a social context and speaking in a fluent and intelligible way are associated with adult psychosis (Bearden et al, 2000; Green, 1996; Jones et al, 1994; Welham et al, 2009)
It is unclear from the current evidence whether antecedent speech and language problems are in expressive speech and language or pragmatic language

Summary

Introduction

Psychotic experiences (PEs) are attenuated psychotic phenomena, similar to those experienced by those with a clinical disorder, and occurring in healthy populations They have a prevalence of between approximately 3 and 30% in community samples (van Os et al, 2009) and are part of the continuum of psychosis (Linscott and van Os, 2010; van Os et al, 2009). Childhood speech and language difficulties e.g. with using language in a social context and speaking in a fluent and intelligible way are associated with adult psychosis (Bearden et al, 2000; Green, 1996; Jones et al, 1994; Welham et al, 2009). Interventions aimed at helping children improve pragmatic language skills may reduce the incidence of adolescent psychopathology and associated psychological disorder and dysfunction later in life

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Conclusion