Prevalence and correlates of psychotic like experiences in a nationally representative community sample of adolescents in Ireland

Abstract

Adolescent psychotic like experiences (PLEs) are an important area of research, yet only a small number of community surveys have investigated their psychosocial correlates. This study presents the prevalence and correlates of three types of PLEs in a nationally representative community sample of 12–19year olds in Ireland (N=5910). Correlates are considered across five domains: demographic, stressful life experiences, emotional/behavioral problems, substance use, and personal resources. Auditory hallucinations were reported by 13.7% of participants, 10.4% reported visual hallucinations and 13.1% reported paranoid thoughts. Participants who had experienced two of the three PLEs were assigned “risk” status (10.4%; n=616). Using binary logistic regression, PLEs were associated with a range of correlates across the five domains. Key correlates of risk status include depression (OR 4.07; 95% CI 3.39–4.88), low self-esteem (OR 4.03 95% CI 3.34–4.86), low optimism (OR 3.56; 95% CI 2.96–4.28), school misconduct (OR 3.10 95%; CI 2.56–3.75), and high avoidance coping (OR 2.86 95% CI 2.34–3.49). These associations remained significant in a multivariate analysis. While correlates for each of the three PLEs were similar, there were some nuances in these patterns. Notably, demographic and substance use variables were the weakest groups of correlates. Personal resources (e.g. self-esteem, optimism and coping) have been poorly studied in the adolescent PLE literature and these findings provide important insights for future research and intervention design.