Paranoia and instability of self-esteem in adolescents

Abstract

This study examined whether paranoid beliefs are associated with instability of self-esteem (SE) as hypothesized by Bentall et al. [Bentall, R. P., Corcoran, R., Howard, R., Blackwood, N., & Kinderman, P. (2001). Persecutory delusions: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 21, 1143–1192] in a community-based sample. Measures assessing SE, SE instability, paranoid ideation, and depressive symptoms were completed by 131 adolescents. A significant association between paranoia and SE instability was observed, even when taking into account global SE and depressive symptomatology. The results replicate previous findings, providing further evidence for a relationship between paranoid ideation and SE instability. Further, this study utilises a new measure of SE instability and explores the relationship between paranoia and SE within a hitherto unstudied age group using a multidimensional model of paranoia.