The impact of childhood trauma and daily life experiences on emotional and psychotic symptom intensity in psychosis: An experience sampling study

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences create vulnerability to psychosis through biological and cognitive changes, and that may be observed as an increased emotional and psychotic response to daily life experiences in adulthood. This study aims to examine the effects of childhood maltreatment on psychotic patients' daily stress and emotional and psychotic intensity related to various experiences throughout the day. Daily activities and events, and emotional and psychotic intensity of forty-one psychotic patients were assessed with the Experience Sampling Method. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was used to evaluate childhood adversities. Multilevel regression analyses showed that all trauma subtypes, except for sexual abuse, were associated with increased psychosis and event-stress. Emotional maltreatment was the most associated trauma type with high negative and low positive affect and increased daily stress. Patients reported the highest stress and negative affect related to internal experiences but the lowest stress related to recreational actions. Social activities were also associated with higher positive affect and lower stress and psychosis, with the high CTQ group having greater stress in those activities. Our study demonstrates the negative impact of childhood trauma, especially emotional maltreatment, on daily stress and emotional and psychotic intensity in psychotic patients via different daily experiences.