Perceived Relationships with Parents and Paranoid Delusions: Comparisons of Currently Ill, Remitted and Normal Participants

Abstract

Background: Paranoid delusions are associated with abnormal attributions and abnormal beliefs about the self. Some researchers have also reported an association between paranoid beliefs and abnormal attachment representations. Sampling and Methods: Perceptions of relationships with the family of origin were measured in 14 currently ill paranoid patients, 9 remitted paranoid patients and 15 healthy controls, using two methods: the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), and the Relationship with Family of Origin Scale (REFAMOS), an interview-based assessment. Results and Conclusions: On the PBI, both currently ill and remitted patients reported low parental care and overprotectiveness during childhood. Similar negative accounts of relationships with parents during the 16–20 years age period, and also at the time of assessment, were elicited from both the ill and remitted patients on the REFAMOS. These findings might reflect the influence of illness on patients’ perceptions of their parents. However, the fact that the remitted patients did not differ from the currently ill patients raises the possibility that dysfunctional relationships are a common feature of the history of paranoid patients, perhaps contributing to the development of paranoid thinking.