Positive Psychotic-like Experiences Research Articles

The relations of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and depressive symptoms and the bias of depressive symptoms during the clustering among Chinese adolescents: Findings from the network perspective

BackgroundThere are rare studies about the network structure of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and depressive symptoms among adolescents. Studies have widely acknowledged that PLEs in adolescents confer a higher risk of depressive symptoms, but the complex interactions remain inadequately understood. Our study aimed to examine the hierarchy and inter-associations of PLEs and depressive symptoms in a large adolescent sample from the network analysis perspective. MethodsA total of 5008 Chinese adolescents were enrolled in our sample. Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences-42 (CAPE-42) was applied to build the network. Centrality indexes were calculated to represent the significance of nodes in the network. Community detection was conducted to figure out the specific clustering of nodes. Demographic information was collected for the sub-network comparisons. Accuracy and stability of the network were also tested. Results“Failure”, “External control”, and “Lack of activity” were the most central nodes. The main bridge nodes linking PLEs and depressive symptoms were “Failure”, “Guilty”, and “No future”. Positive PLE “Odd looks” and negative PLE “Unable to terminate” are the two PLEs that were most relevant to depressive nodes. Community detection further demonstrated the bias of depressive nodes in the data-driven clustering. Comparative sub-network analysis suggested that age was the only demographic factor related to the current network. ConclusionIn this study of a large adolescent sample, we first demonstrated the network structure and specific clustering preference of PLEs and depressive symptoms.Our findings may enhance the understanding of the relationship between PLE and depressive symptoms.

Conspiracies and contagion: Two patterns of COVID-19 related beliefs associated with distinct mental symptomatology

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unique challenges, leading to a simultaneous decline in global mental well-being and an increase in perceived social threats. The present study explores the interplay between COVID-19 beliefs and mental health symptoms in a multinational sample of 1523 individuals primarily from Canada, the US and Mexico. Between May 2020 and February 2021, participants completed an online survey assessing somatic symptoms, anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and psychotic-like symptoms, along with the newly developed COVID-19 beliefs questionnaire (CBQ). The CBQ consisted of a series of statements corresponding to different beliefs about the origins and consequences of the virus and it revealed two dimensions through Exploratory Factor Analysis: Fear of contagion of COVID-19 (FC) and COVID-19 denial/conspiratorial ideation (CI).Correlation analyses and linear regressions revealed a negative correlation between these two belief patterns as well their distinct associations with mental health symptoms. Fear of contagion was positively predicted by somatic symptoms and anxiety. In contrast, COVID-19 denial/conspiratorial ideation was positively predicted by positive psychotic-like experiences, alexithymia, and depression, and negatively predicted by negative psychotic-like symptoms. Furthermore, the relationship between positive psychotic-like symptoms and CI was mediated negatively by negative psychotic-like symptoms, suggesting that individuals with higher self-reported delusional ideation and bizarre experiences but lower avolition during the pandemic were the most likely to endorse COVID-19 related conspiracy theories.We provide an interpretation of these results according to which these two profiles represent distinct doxastic threat responses, shaped by the interaction between the non-specific pandemic distress response and individual proneness to mental health symptomatology.

The role of psychotic‐like experiences in the association between aberrant salience and anxiety: A psychopathological proposal based on a case–control study

AbstractAimAberrant salience (AS) and psychotic‐like experiences (PLEs) have been proven to be linked. Moreover, anxiety is a key symptom in psychosis‐prone subjects and most psychotic patients. We propose a model that attempts to interpret the role of PLEs in the association between AS and anxiety among healthy controls and psychotic patients.MethodsDemographic and psychometric data (Aberrant Salience Inventory, Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences, Symptom Check List‐90‐revised) from 163 controls and 44 psychotic patients was collected. Descriptive statistics, correlations, a linear regression model and a mediation analysis with covariates were subsequently performed.ResultsAS correlated with more frequent positive PLEs and higher anxiety levels in both patients and controls. However, positive PLEs' frequency mediated the relationship between AS and anxiety only among controls.ConclusionsPLEs linked to AS appear to induce anxiety among the control group but not among psychotic patients. The progressive loss of both novelty and insight, which may, respectively, impair the somatic emotional reactivity to PLEs and the ability to recognize some bodily phenomena as the embodied correlates of anxiety, is seen as the most probable theoretical explanation.

Endorsement of psychotic-like experiences and problematic cannabis use associated with worse executive functioning performance in undergraduates

BackgroundEmerging adults who endorse more positive psychotic-like experiences (PLEs; bizarre experiences, delusional ideations) may experience greater cannabis-related impairments in executive function. Negative and depressive PLEs are also associated with cannabis use, however, less is known about their relation to executive functioning. Here, we hypothesize that high positive PLEs and cannabis use are associated with worse performance on computerized versions of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the Card Sorting Task (CST); exploratory analyses are conducted with negative and depressive PLEs. MethodsWe recruited university students (N = 543) who completed an online study consisting of self-report measures of problematic cannabis use (Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test; CUDIT-R) and PLEs (Community Assessment of Psychotic Experiences; CAPE). Of these, n=270 completed the CST and n=251 completed the IGT. ResultsProblematic cannabis use and high endorsement of positive PLEs related to significantly worse performance on the IGT and greater perseverative errors on the CST. In addition, people who endorsed high levels of positive PLEs were also significantly more likely to complete the IGT with less money relative to those who endorsed fewer PLEs, regardless of cannabis use. Further analyses based on negative PLEs revealed a similar pattern for perseverative errors on the CST; depressive PLEs were not related to task performance. ConclusionFindings highlight that problematic cannabis use and more frequent and distressing positive PLEs are associated with poorer executive functioning. Thus, executive functioning may have implications for intervention among those high on both attributes, who are at high risk of onset of psychosis.

Depression and anxiety mediate the relationship between the retrospectively measured symptoms of premenstrual disorders and negative but not positive psychotic-like experiences

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between retrospectively measured premenstrual symptoms and subclinical forms of positive and negative psychotic symptoms (psychotic-like experiences; PLEs). It was hypothesised that subjective intensity of the symptoms of premenstrual disorders predicts PLEs frequency and that this relationship is mediated by anxiety and depression. The study sample comprised 108 non-clinical subjects. Study variables were assessed with self-report questionnaires: the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST); the Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II); the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; trait sub-scale); the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE). Regression and mediation analyses were performed. The PSST scores were significantly and positively associated with psychotic-like experiences frequency. The relation was stronger for positive PLEs. Anxiety and depression partially mediated the relationship between premenstrual symptoms and negative PLEs, but not between premenstrual symptoms and positive PLEs. Although the design of the study does not allow to infer causality, it demonstrates strong, positive relationship between the symptoms of premenstrual disorders and psychotic-like experiences. The relationship between premenstrual disorders and negative PLEs seems to be partially based on a general psychopathological factor. Further longitudinal studies are needed to test whether premenstrual disturbances increase risk of psychotic symptoms.

Working memory performance is related to childhood trauma but not psychotic-like experiences in a nonpsychiatric sample.

This project seeks to clarify the impact of childhood trauma and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) on working memory (WM) and explore gender differences in these relationships. The effect of childhood trauma on WM performance has yet to be explored in individuals with PLEs, despite consistent associations between trauma, psychosis spectrum symptoms, and WM performance. In 466 undergraduates, positive PLEs (Prodromal Questionnaire) and trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) were examined to determine contributions to WM performance on a spatial n-back task. We conducted hierarchical linear regressions on the total sample and stratified by gender to examine the effects of childhood trauma, positive PLEs, and their interaction on WM performance. Supplemental analyses explored attenuated negative and disorganized symptoms. Controlling for age, there were no significant main effects of positive PLEs, childhood trauma, their interaction, or three-way interaction including gender in predicting WM. After stratifying by gender, childhood trauma was significantly associated with poorer WM in females only. Post hoc analyses revealed that in the full sample, physical neglect predicted WM performance and was a trend for females, while sexual abuse trended toward predicting WM in males. Supplemental analyses of attenuated negative and disorganized symptoms revealed childhood trauma significantly predicted WM in the full sample and females only for negative symptoms. Females who have experienced childhood trauma may be at greater risk for WM problems, irrespective of co-occurring PLEs, suggesting that cognitive difficulties may be partially attributable to history of trauma. These findings have potential implications for intervention strategies in trauma-exposed individuals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Gender divergent effect of COMT gene rs4680 polymorphism on the association between executive dysfunction and psychotic-like experiences

AimPremorbid cognitive impairments are observed prior to the onset of schizophrenia. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) rs4680 is associated with psychosis and plays a crucial role in the development of the executive function. In addition, genetic COMT variations and gender affect its enzymatic activity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of COMT rs4680 on the relationship between executive dysfunction and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) in college students, with the additional investigation of the gender difference. MethodsA total of 463 students provided biological samples for DNA analysis and the COMT gene rs4680 polymorphism was discriminated by the improved multiplex ligase detection reaction method. They also completed the Prodromal Questionnaire and the Dysexecutive Questionnaire. ResultsExecutive dysfunction significantly predicted positive PLEs in the total, male and female population (β = 0.515, 0.508 and 0.512, p < 0.001). The results of moderated analysis revealed that COMT rs4680 recessive genetic model (‘AA genotype’ versus ‘G carrier’) moderated the relationship between executive dysfunction and psychotic-like experience in the total and females (p = 0.002 and p <0.001, respectively), but not in males. ConclusionThese findings revealed a female-specific effect of COMT rs4680 on the relationship between executive dysfunction and PLEs in young adults.

Self-reported cognitive biases in psychosis: Validation of the Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale (DACOBS) in a Spanish sample of psychotic patients and healthy controls

Cognitive biases have been demonstrated to be important in developing and maintaining psychosis. However, self-report measures for everyday clinical practice have been developed only recently. We aimed to study one of these instruments for assessing cognitive biases: the Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale (DACOBS).In a Spanish sample of 84 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and 152 healthy controls, we examined a) the factor structure using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to test the original one-, three- and seven-factor solutions, b) the reliability (Cronbach's alpha), c) the discriminative power (Multivariate Analysis of Covariance - MANCOVA) and d) the relationships of cognitive biases with positive psychotic-like experiences (PPLEs) in healthy individuals and with psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia-spectrum patients.The CFA revealed that the seven-factor solution achieved the best fit. The DACOBS overall scale (Cronbach's alpha = .92) and subscales obtained good internal consistencies. MANCOVA, controlling for age and education, demonstrated that all subscales differentiated between healthy controls and psychotic patients (Wilks' Lambda = 0.87; F7, 226 = 4.70; p < .000; partial eta squared = 0.13). In addition, the DACOBS showed high correlations with PPLEs (controls) and moderate correlations with positive and general symptoms (patients), demonstrating its predictive validity.Concluding, the DACOBS proved to be a psychometrically suitable instrument for assessing cognitive biases in psychosis and adequately differentiated between patients and healthy individuals within the Spanish population. Norm scores are provided.

A time-lagged study of predictors of paranoia and psychotic-like experiences in daily life across the schizotypy continuum.

Leading theoretical models of psychosis implicate a wide range of psychological factors in the development of positive symptoms. Ambulatory assessment allows us to repeatedly assess people's mental experiences within and across days to explore putative moment-to-moment prospective relationships that impact the onset and exacerbation of positive symptoms. This study used experience sampling methodology to examine the putative temporal associations of both risk and protective factors (negative emotional states, stress, self-esteem, and social appraisals) with the experience of paranoia and other positive psychotic-like experiences (PLE) in daily-life. A combined sample of 178 participants including 65 high-schizotypy, 74 at-risk mental states for psychosis, and 39 first-episode psychosis individuals was assessed repeatedly over seven consecutive days. Sadness, anxiety, stress, and negative social appraisals predicted higher levels of subsequent paranoia and PLE. In contrast, self-esteem and subjective appraisals of social support and social closeness predicted lower levels of paranoia and PLE. Most findings did not vary across subclinical, at-risk, and clinical levels of psychosis expression. Results support psychological models of psychosis and provide new evidence to disentangle psychological factors involved in the mechanistic pathways to positive symptoms. The findings can help the design of ecological momentary interventions delivered in real-time aimed at buffering psychological mechanisms that promote psychotic symptoms and strengthening causal mechanisms that protect from the development of positive symptoms. Finally, findings suggest that highly similar psychological mechanisms are implicated in the development of psychotic experiences across nonclinical, subclinical, and clinical expressions of schizotypy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Latent structure of psychotic-like experiences in adolescents: Evidence from a multi-method taxometric study of a school-based sample in Ghana

Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are subclinical psychotic symptoms that occur outside the context of sleep or are unrelated to drug use. PLEs of varying severity are reportedly very common in adolescence. However, there are concerns about whether the structure of PLEs among adolescents is latently dimensional or categorical (“taxonic”). The current study investigates the latent structure of PLEs in 1,886 adolescents recruited from senior high schools in Ghana. Four multivariate taxometric procedures (MAMBAC, MAXEIG, l-Mode and MAXSLOPE) were applied to analyze the data. Across the taxometric procedures, there was evidence that a dimensional structure underpins positive PLEs, negative PLEs and a combination of positive and negative PLEs. The findings suggest that PLEs are distributed in the adolescent population at differing degrees/severity and that evidence of discontinuity between milder and more severe PLEs is non-existent. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating a dimensional assessment of PLEs into the existing categorical approach so that differences between people can been seen as quantitative variations along the PLEs continuum.

The relationship between social media addiction and psychotic-like experiences in a large nonclinical student sample

ABSTRACT Background: The use of social media networks has grown exponentially in the past decade. These forms of communication are concerning when considering mental health. There has been very little research to inform our understanding of how social media addiction (SMA) may relate to mental illness. Aims: We aimed to examine the link between SMA and Psychotic-Like Experiences (PLEs) in a sample of nonclinical Tunisian youth. Methods: The Positive Subscale of Community Assessment of Psychotic Experiences and the Arabic Social Media Addiction Scale (ASMAS) were administered to a total of 1007 college students (64.6% female; mean age = 21.9). Results: The majority of students (86.4%) spent their free time on the internet, and 98.5% reported regular use of social media networks. After controlling for demographic variables (gender, age) and substance use, the number of hours of social media use per day and the social consequences dimension of the ASMAS contributed significantly to the prediction of positive PLEs (bizarre experiences, perceptual abnormalities, persecutory ideation and magical thinking). Conclusions: Our results build on previous literature that mainly focused on general internet use, and consistently indicated an association between SMA and PLEs. SMA may be an important target for early intervention in psychosis.

Social Cognition and Friendships in Adolescents With Autistic-Like Experiences and Psychotic-Like Experiences.

Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and schizophrenia spectrum conditions (SSC) are both characterized by changes in social-cognitive functioning. Less is known about the overlap and the differences in social-cognitive functioning when comparing individuals with subclinical levels of ASC and SSC, while studies in non-clinical samples have the benefit of avoiding confounds that are present in clinical groups. Therefore, we first examined how autistic-like experiences, positive psychotic-like experiences and the co-occurrence of both correlated with the performance on an extensive battery of social cognition tasks in young adolescents. Second, we examined the effect of autistic-like experiences, psychotic-like experiences and their co-occurrence on friendships in daily life. A total of 305 adolescents (Mage = 12.6, sd = 0.4, 147 boys) participated in the current study. A battery of social cognition tasks, comprising the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task, Dot perspective task and trust game were individually administered in a classroom setting, along with a friendship peer nomination questionnaire. Results indicated no evidence for a relationship between the performance on the social cognition battery and subclinical experiences of autism and/or psychosis. However, results did show that the amount of autistic-like experiences of adolescents were associated with being less often selected as a friend by their peers. By contrast, no relationship between self-reported friendships and autistic-like experiences was found. Neither a relationship between friendships and psychotic-like experiences was reported. This study provides initial evidence that information provided by peers may shed light on (altered) social behavior associated with autistic-like experiences that is not apparent on performance measures, as well as elucidate possible differences between autistic- and psychotic-like experiences.

The sense of coherence in healthy individuals with psychotic-like experiences.

Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are subclinical symptoms of psychosis that can be observed in general population. They share many characteristics with psychosis and may, but do not have to, precede the development of psychotic disorders. Sense of coherence (SOC) is a global orientation which helps a person successfully cope with the demands of life, and stay healthy. A SOC level expresses how much a person believes that the world is predictable and coherent, and has been shown to be related to psychological functioning. It consists of the three components: comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. The aim of the study was to test the relationship between SOC and PLEs, which has not been tested before. The research comprised the pilot and the main study. The study samples consisted of 82 and 215 adults respectively. Psychiatric disorders or the use of psychoactive substances 3 months prior to the study were the exclusion criteria. SOC and PLEs were measured with self-report questionnaires. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between the study variables. SOC was found to be strongly and negatively correlated with PLEs. Also, SOC was determined to be a non-redundant, negative predictor of psychotic-like experiences. When SOC components (comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness) were tested separately as predictors, meaningfulness was found to be a negative predictor of negative PLEs and a positive predictor of positive PLEs. The results suggest that SOC is an important factor negatively related to PLEs. Further studies are required to verify whether high-level SOC may be a factor preventing the development of PLEs.

Positive and negative psychosis risk symptoms among adolescents in Ghana

ABSTRACT Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) have attracted increased scholarly attention; however, there are limited empirical studies in Africa where environmental risk factors for psychosis such as maltreatment are highly prevalent. The study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of PLEs, as well as the association between PLEs and behavioural maladies among adolescents in Ghana. Data were collected from 553 adolescents (girls = 322, 58.1%) using a cross-sectional survey design. The prevalence of the positive PLEs ranges from 3.8% to 41.2, whereas, for negative PLE, the prevalence ranges from 4.9% to 13% . The PLEs dimensions were significantly associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as suicidal tendency. Cluster analysis identified three groups of participants: normative, low risk and high risk for psychosis. The psychosis risk groups significantly reported more PLEs and behavioural maladies, compared with the normative group. This preliminary study suggests that psychosis risk symptoms are prevalent in adolescents in Ghana.

Prevalence and Correlates of Psychotic Like Experiences in a Large Community Sample of Young Adults in Tunisia

Despite the increased focus on non-clinical psychosis populations, no community surveys have properly investigated the phenotypal expression of Psychotic like experiences (PLEs) in the Arab-Muslim world. We aimed to examine the prevalence and correlates of PLEs in a large sample of Tunisian college students. A total of 1489 students (64.3% female, aged 18-40) participated in a cross-sectional survey. The Positive Subscale of Community Assessment of Psychotic Experiences was used to measure PLEs. The rates of PLEs found in our work were relatively high compared with those found in previous international studies, with 51.4% of the participants reporting at least one positive PLE 'nearly-always'. After controling for confounding variables, other drug use in the past year represented the only substance use variable among the significant predictors in the final model. Our findings should raise awareness of the need for implementing an early intervention programs in our region.

Ontological insecurity II: Relationship to attachment, childhood trauma, and subclinical psychotic-like experiences.

To examine ontological insecurity as a predictor of positive psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) relative to concepts of childhood trauma, parental bonding, and adult attachment style. A nonclinical sample (N = 298) completed the Ontological Insecurity Scale (OIS-34), a new measure of ontological insecurity, along with measures of the above concepts. The OIS-34 accounted for a significantly greater proportion of unique variance in positive PLEs than any other theoretical variable. Anxious and avoidant adult attachment were also strongly associated with positive PLEs, but these relationships were mediated by the OIS-34, ceasing to be significant once this latter variable entered the hierarchical regression equation. The results are consistent with R. D. Laing's theory that ontological insecurity plays a significant role in psychosis. Moreover, the results suggest that this concept may mediate the established relationship between anxious/avoidant adult attachment and positive PLEs. Implications for psychological approaches to clinical psychosis are discussed.

Childhood sexual abuse as a potential predictor of psychotic like experiences in Tunisian college students

BackgroundCurrent research has shown that experiencing childhood trauma may predispose individuals for psychosis and expression of Psychotic like experiences (PLEs). We aimed to examine the prevalence and characteristics of PLEs and depressive and negative experiences in a sample of Tunisian college students, and to evaluate the impact of childhood traumas in the occurrence and severity of these experiences at the time of the survey. MethodA total of 482 college students (63.7% female; aged 18–32) participated in a cross-sectional survey. The Positive Subscale of Community Assessment of Psychotic Experiences (CAPE) was used to measure PLEs. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was used to assess childhood trauma and neglect. Results53.5% (n = 258) of the students reported at least one positive PLE ‘nearly always’, and 40.9% (n = 197) reported at least one negative PLE with this frequency. After controlling for demographic variables (gender, age) and psychosocial factors (drug use, depression, anxiety and stress), sexual abuse significantly contributed to PLEs. ConclusionThere is a need for further cross-cultural research regarding the phenotypal expression of PLEs and its associated variables. Child sexual abuse victims should receive systematic and complete psychological screening during their adolescence/ early adulthood including, among others, PLEs and psychotic symptoms.

Attentional biases and trauma status: Do psychotic-like experiences matter?

In a large undergraduate sample, we explored whether attentional biases were similar between individuals reporting positive psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) with a history of traumatic life events (TLEs) compared with individuals with a TLE history alone. Participants completed the Emotional Stroop Task, and self-report questionnaires of TLEs and PLEs. Although reaction time (RT) to physical, sexual, emotional, and overall trauma words was associated with TLEs, only RT to physical abuse and overall trauma words remained significantly associated with TLE status after controlling for age, race, and neutral word RT. Contrary to our hypotheses, PLEs were not associated with RT to TLE words and there were no significant interactions between TLE history and PLEs on RT to TLE-salient stimuli. Findings suggest that psychosis risk alone does not appear to exacerbate attentional biases and that TLE history may exert similar influence on attention regardless of psychosis risk. In conclusion, phenotypes associated with TLEs may be similar in populations potentially at risk for psychosis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Multi-echo fMRI, resting-state connectivity, and high psychometric schizotypy.

Disrupted striatal functional connectivity is proposed to play a critical role in the development of psychotic symptoms. Previous resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies typically reported disrupted striatal connectivity in patients with psychosis and in individuals at clinical and genetic high risk of the disorder relative to healthy controls. This has not been widely studied in healthy individuals with subclinical psychotic-like experiences (schizotypy). Here we applied the emerging technology of multi-echo rs-fMRI to examine corticostriatal connectivity in this group, which is thought to drastically maximize physiological noise removal and increase BOLD contrast-to-noise ratio. Multi-echo rs-fMRI data (echo times, 12, 28, 44, 60 ms) were acquired from healthy individuals with low (LS, n = 20) and high (HS, n = 19) positive schizotypy as determined with the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (O-LIFE). After preprocessing to ensure optimal contrast and removal of non-BOLD signal components, whole-brain functional connectivity from six striatal seeds was compared between the HS and LS groups. Effects were considered significant at cluster-level p < .05 family-wise error correction. Compared to LS, HS subjects showed lower rs-fMRI connectivity between ventromedial prefrontal regions and ventral striatal regions. Lower connectivity was also observed between the dorsal putamen and the hippocampus, occipital regions, as well as the cerebellum. These results demonstrate that subclinical positive psychotic-like experiences in healthy individuals are associated with striatal hypoconnectivity as detected using multi-echo rs-fMRI. Further application of this approach may aid in characterizing functional connectivity abnormalities across the extended psychosis phenotype.

The moderating role of cognitive biases on the relationship between negative affective states and psychotic-like experiences in non-clinical adults

Negative emotions and cognitive biases are important factors underlying psychotic symptoms and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs); however, it is not clear whether these factors interact when they influence psychotic phenomena. The aim of our study was to investigate whether psychosis-related cognitive biases moderate the relationship between negative affective states, i.e. anxiety and depression, and psychotic-like experiences. The study sample contains 251 participants who have never been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. Anxiety, depression, cognitive biases, and psychotic-like experiences were assessed with self-report questionnaires. A moderation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between the study variables. The analyses revealed that the link between anxiety and positive PLEs is moderated by External Attribution bias, whereas the relationship between depression and positive PLEs is moderated by Attention to Threat bias. Attributional bias was also found to moderate the association between depression and negative subclinical symptoms; Jumping to Conclusions bias served as a moderator in the link between anxiety and depression and negative PLEs. Further studies in clinical samples are required to verify the moderating role of individual cognitive biases on the relationship between negative emotional states and full-blown psychotic symptoms.