Relation between psychotic symptoms, parental care and childhood trauma in severe mental disorders

New insights into recalled parental behavior in social anxiety disorder: A cluster analytic approach

BACKGROUND

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a highly heterogeneous disorder. To enlighten its heterogeneity, this study focused on recalled parental behavior and aimed to empirically identify if there are subgroups of SAD based on recalled parental behavior by means of cluster analysis. Further, the study investigated whether those subgroups differed on clinical, trauma, and personality variables.

METHODS

This study included 505 individuals diagnosed with SAD and 98 adult controls who were asked to fill out the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE), and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Cluster analysis determined whether there are meaningful SAD subgroups based on PBI. The clusters obtained were compared with each other and with the control group with regard to clinical, ACE, and TCI variables.

RESULTS

The cluster analysis revealed two SAD clusters based on recalled parental behavior. SAD individuals in the first cluster (49.3 %) perceived their parents as intermediately caring, but not as overcontrolling. SAD individuals in the second cluster (50.7 %) perceived their parents as less caring and overcontrolling, reported more severe clinical symptoms and trauma, and had lower values in Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness.

LIMITATIONS

The present study is cross-sectional, therefore unable to confirm causal interpretations.

CONCLUSION

Parenting is meaningful to enlighten the heterogeneity of SAD symptomatology and to specify treatment approaches as there are two meaningful subgroups in individuals with SAD corresponding to differences in clinical presentation, trauma, and personality.

A Transdiagnostic Network Analysis of Childhood Trauma and Psychopathology

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

Psychiatric comorbidities suggest that symptoms overlap across different diagnoses; the transdiagnostic network approach is valuable for studying psychopathology. Childhood trauma is a common transdiagnostic risk factor for psychiatric disorders, but the complex relationship between childhood trauma and psychopathology has seldom been investigated using a large cross-sectional transdiagnostic sample.

STUDY DESIGN

This study recruited 869 patients with different diagnoses, including 418 schizophrenia, 215 bipolar disorder, and 236 major depressive disorder. Participants completed psychiatric interviews and self-report questionnaires. We constructed dimension- and item-level Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator-based (LASSO) networks to explore the relationship between childhood trauma, psychopathology, and duration of illness. Moreover, we constructed directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to tentatively clarify the potential directions of associations among these variables. Network Comparison Tests (NCTs) were conducted for different diagnostic groups and gender-stratified groups.

STUDY RESULTS

The transdiagnostic LASSO networks showed that different types of childhood trauma exerted distinct impacts on various psychopathological dimensions. Emotional abuse was linked to depressive symptoms, physical abuse to excited symptoms, sexual abuse to positive and disorganized symptoms, emotional neglect to depressive symptoms and motivation and pleasure (MAP) deficits factor of negative symptoms, and physical neglect to MAP factor. The DAG findings generally concurred with the LASSO network. The NCT showed comparable networks.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that childhood trauma is significantly associated with the development of psychopathology across different diagnostic groups. The affective pathway model suggests that early identification and tailored interventions would be needed for people with a history of childhood trauma.

Sex-related differences in parental rearing patterns in young adults with bipolar disorder

The aim of this study was to examine the parenting characteristics of young patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and explore the sex differences. The parental rearing pattern of young patients with BD was measured and compared with the healthy control of young adults. The EMBU scale was used to assess parental rearing patterns. Patients with BD reported significantly higher scores in the punishment and severity index, as well as of the rejection and denial index, but lower scores in the warmth & affectionate index in the paternal rearing pattern, compared with healthy controls. In addition, patients scored higher on the punishment and severity index and rejection and patterns index in maternal rearing patterns. More importantly, we found significant sex differences in maternal rearing patterns (pBonferroni < 0.05). Specifically, in the maternal rearing patterns, male patients had higher scores on the favoring index than male controls, whereas female patients had lower scores on the warmth & affectionate index than female controls. This study shows significant differences in parental rearing patterns between patients and control subjects. Male patients were overprotective by their mothers and female patients were overlooked by their mothers during upbringing.

Evaluation of parent bonding style and traumatic experiences in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: A case-control study

BACKGROUND

There is no consensus about the etiology of schizophrenia (SQZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). Both hereditary and environmental factors are recognized, but the importance of variables like the role of parental attachment and trauma is still under research.

AIMS

Evaluate and compare the patient-parent bonding and the frequency and severity of various types of trauma in patients with SQZ, BD, and a control group from Primary Health Care.

METHOD

This study included 50 patients with SQZ and 50 with BD followed at a psychiatric hospital, through a convenience sample. Each participant of the clinical sample was paired with a control with no psychiatric background of the same gender and similar age, from a primary health center. Two scales were applied - Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form (CTQ-SF).

RESULTS

Regarding PBI, there was a higher frequency of the most dysfunctional attachment style (affectionless control), in patients with SQZ and BD, with p < .001 (always), both for the father and the mother. In addition, ideal parenting style (optimal parenting) was significantly more common in control samples, with p = .002 or <.001, both for the father and for the mother. Trauma was more frequent and severe in SQZ and BD than controls, in all evaluated dimensions. Again, differences between groups are obvious, with p = .012 or <.001. Parental bonding style and scores in the care and overprotection dimensions were also correlated. The only parental bonding style in which correlations were found was in affectionless control. Correlations were more common in cases of neglect compared to abuse.

CONCLUSIONS

In this research we found important differences in terms of parental attachment and childhood trauma between patients with SQZ and BD, compared with controls of the same gender and age.

Risk factors and protective factors for nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: A hospital- and school-based case-control study

OBJECTIVE

Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) in China has increasingly interested clinicians, although few studies have investigated its risk and protective factors. This study examined the risk factors of NSSI among Chinese adolescents.

METHODS

The researchers recruited adolescent participants with NSSI from a hospital outpatient clinic to form a case group and recruited adolescents without NSSI who provided informed consent from the school to form a control group. Participants completed a questionnaire, and data were analyzed using logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 138 cases and 276 controls participated in this study. Binary multivariate logistic regression analysis with adjusting for age and sex showed that domestic violence (OR = 8.615, 95%CI: 3.081-24.091), parental overconcern (OR = 6.995, 95%CI: 3.447-14.192), guilt (OR = 4.949, 95%CI: 2.227-10.996), and school bullying (OR = 21.676, 95%CI: 6.799-69.109) increased the risk of NSSI, while peer support (OR = 0.068, 95%CI: 0.030-0.150) and living in an urban environment (OR = 0.157, 95%CI: 0.056-0.437) decreased the risk of NSSI.

CONCLUSION

Some psychosocial factors were confirmed to be independent risk and protective factors for NSSI in this study. However, the clinical significance of the results needs to be interpreted with caution due to sample size limitations.

Relationships between childhood trauma and dimensional schizotypy: A network analysis and replication

OBJECTIVES

Childhood trauma (CT) has been found to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Little is known regarding the complex interplay between CT, subclinical psychotic, and affective symptoms in the general population. This cross-sectional study adopted network analysis to examine such a complex relationship. We hypothesized that CT would show strong connections with schizotypy dimensions, and the high schizotypy subgroup would show a network with higher global strength compared with the low schizotypy subgroup.

METHODS

A total of 1813 college students completed a set of self-report questionnaires measuring CT, schizotypal features, bipolar traits, and depressive symptoms. The subscales of these questionnaires were used as nodes, and the partial correlations between nodes were used as edges to construct a network. Network Comparison Tests were used to investigate the differences between participants with high schizotypy and low schizotypy. An independent sample (n = 427) was used to examine the replicability of the results.

RESULTS

Findings from the main dataset showed that CT was closely connected with schizotypy and motivation, after controlling for the inter-relationships between all nodes in the network. Relative to the low schizotypy subgroup, the network of the high schizotypy subgroup showed higher global strength. The two subgroups did not differ in network structure. Network analysis using the replication dataset showed comparable global strength and network structure.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings support specific links between CT and schizotypy dimensions in healthy youth populations, and such links appear to become stronger in those with high schizotypy.

Erroneous Thought in Inpatients with Major Depressive Disorder: The Role of Psychological Trauma During Childhood and Adulthood

BACKGROUND

The pathogenic role of trauma in psychotic-like experiences has yet to be clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of childhood and adulthood trauma on erroneous thoughts among patients with major depressive disorder.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Inpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled, and paper-and-pencil questionnaires were applied. Clinical rating and self-reported scales were used to measure levels of depression, dissociation, psychological trauma, parental maltreatment, and erroneous thoughts. Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted to explore potentially significant associations between erroneous thoughts and other independent variables, and standardized regression coefficients of hierarchical regression analysis were used to predict the significant relationships between erroneous thoughts and adulthood or childhood trauma.

RESULTS

A total of 99 participants were included into the analysis, of whom 59 were patients with MDD and 40 were HCs. After treatment, the patients with MDD showed significantly higher levels of depression, childhood maltreatment, interpersonal trauma and erroneous thoughts than the HCs. After estimating and verifying correlations with hierarchical regression among the patients with MDD, a link between adulthood betrayal trauma and higher level of conviction along with the number of erroneous thoughts was found. However, no significant association was identified between childhood trauma and erroneous thought. The concurrent level of depression significantly predicted a higher level of being preoccupied, along with the number of erroneous thoughts.

CONCLUSION

The current study fills a gap in the literature by showing a link between adulthood trauma and erroneous thoughts in non-psychotic patients. Further studies with well-controlled comparisons and prospective cohort with longer follow-up are warranted to extend the applicability and generalizability of the current study.

Interaction between Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) polymorphisms and childhood maltreatment on aggression risk in Chinese male adolescents

BACKGROUND

Aggressive behavior is a highly prevalent and serious public health problem among adolescents. However, the etiology and pathogenesis of aggressive behavior remain unclear. Childhood maltreatment is an acknowledged factor for aggressive behavior. SIRT1 is closely related to the occurrence and development of psychiatric disorders. We aimed to reveal the interactive effect between SIRT1 and childhood maltreatment on aggressive behavior among Chinese adolescents.

METHODS

Aggressive behavior and childhood maltreatment were evaluated by the Buss and Warren's Aggression Questionnaire (BWAQ) and short form Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF), respectively. This study comprised 436 aggression cases and 435 controls. Four SIRT1 tagSNPs were selected for genotyping. Interaction between SIRT1 and childhood maltreatment was estimated by logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Individuals carrying SIRT1 rs4746720 minor allele and TAAC haplotype derived from SIRT1 variants was associated with reduced aggression risk when childhood maltreatment occurred (all P < 0.01). An antagonistic additive interaction between SIRT1 rs4746720 and childhood maltreatment on aggressive behavior (S = 0.421; 95%CI: 0.234 to 0.758) was further testified. No main effect of the SIRT1 SNPs or the haplotype block was observed (all P > 0.05).

LIMITATIONS

Since participants were only males, our findings were unable to be directly extended to females. Cross-sectional design, self-reported measurements and limited sample size were adopted.

CONCLUSION

This study provides the first evidence of SIRT1 × childhood maltreatment interaction on aggressive behavior in male adolescents. The minor allele of SIRT1 rs4746720 presents a protective effect on combination with childhood maltreatment on the risk of aggressive behavior.

Prevalence and types of childhood trauma in first episode psychosis patients. Relation with clinical onset variables

OBJECTIVE

To study the prevalence and the type of childhood trauma (CT) in a first-episode psychosis (FEP) cohort and in a healthy control (HC) sample. To study which clinical and sociodemographic variables in the onset of the FEP are related to having suffered some traumatic experience in childhood.

METHOD

100 FEP patients and 94 HC participated in the study. The Childhood Traumatic Questionnaire (CTQ) was used to evaluate CT. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Personal and Social Performance (PSP), the Suicide Risk Scale of Plutchik (SRSP), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were also administered.

RESULTS

61% of FEP patients and 17% of HC reported having experienced some kind of CT. FEP showed more CT than controls in all subscales, except in sexual abuse. The most frequent CT was emotional abuse. For the FEP group, younger age, more years of education, have a first-degree family history, more positive and negative symptoms, more perceived stress and more personal and social functioning were the variables more influenced by having suffered some kind of CT.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a high prevalence of CT in FEP patients. Having a first-degree family history of mental illness, more positive symptoms, and more perception of stress at the time of hospital admission were related to having suffered CT. More research is needed to find out the best way to detect CT and its role in psychosis to be able to implement interventions to improve the evolution of these patients.

The moderation of maternal parenting on the association of trauma, dissociation, and psychosis in depressive inpatients

BACKGROUND

The effect of dissociation and parenting style on the relationship between psychological trauma and psychotic symptoms has not previously been investigated.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to develop a moderated mediation model to assess whether the association between psychological trauma and psychotic symptoms is mediated by dissociation and moderated by parental maltreatment.

METHODS

Inpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar depression (BP) were recruited. Self-reported and clinical rating scales were used to measure the level of dissociation, psychotic symptoms, history of psychological trauma and parental maltreatment. The PROCESS macro in SPSS was used to estimate path coefficients and adequacy of the moderated mediation model. High betrayal trauma (HBT), low betrayal trauma (LBT), paternal maltreatment, and maternal maltreatment were alternatively entered into the conceptual model to test the adequacy.

RESULTS

A total of 91 patients (59 with MDD and 32 with BP) were recruited, with a mean age of 40.59 ± 7.5 years. After testing with different variables, the moderated mediation model showed that the association between LBT and psychotic symptoms was mediated by dissociation and moderated by maternal maltreatment. A higher level of maternal maltreatment enhanced the effect of LBT on dissociation.

CONCLUSIONS

Healthcare workers should be aware of the risk of developing psychotic symptoms among depressive patients with a history of LBT and maternal maltreatment.

Relationship between childhood trauma, parental bonding, and defensive styles and psychiatric symptoms in adult life

Introduction

A relationship between different types of childhood trauma, parental care, and defensive styles and development of psychiatric symptoms in adulthood is proposed in this study. Understanding the nature of this association is essential to assist psychotherapists who treat patients with a history of past trauma. This study aims to examine the associations between childhood trauma, parental bonding, and defensive styles and current symptoms in adult patients who sought care at an analytical psychotherapy clinic.

Methods

The sample comprised 197 patients from an analytically oriented psychotherapy clinic. Participants responded to four self-report instruments that assessed, respectively, presence and frequency of several types of early trauma, type of parental attachment, styles of defenses, and current symptoms encompassing a wide variety of psychopathological syndromes.

Results

Only 5% of patients reported not having experienced any traumatic experience in childhood. Several traumas such as emotional and physical abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect showed positive and significant associations with several dimensions of current symptoms, and also with parental bonding and defensive styles. When analyzed together with the other variables, defensive styles explained the level of psychological suffering caused by the symptoms.

Conclusions

This study offers additional support for understanding the associations between childhood trauma, parental bonding styles, and defense styles and the psychiatric symptoms of patients in analytically oriented psychotherapy.

Attachment anxiety as mediator of the relationship between childhood trauma and personality dysfunction in borderline personality disorder

Insecure attachment has been described as mediating the relationship between childhood trauma and dysfunctional personality traits in different mental disorders. Despite the role insecure attachment and childhood trauma have independently demonstrated to play as determinants of borderline personality disorder, less is known about the mediating mechanisms explaining these associations. For the first time, we assessed adult attachment, childhood trauma and dimensional personality pathology in a sample of outpatients with borderline personality disorder and tested whether the association between childhood trauma and personality dysfunction was at least partially attributable to insecure attachment. The results showed that attachment anxiety fully mediated the relationship between specific types of trauma (emotional abuse and physical neglect) and emotional dysregulation. Further, emotional abuse was both directly associated with dissocial behaviour and indirectly via attachment anxiety (partial mediation). Emotional abuse has been described as an essential environmental factor for the development of borderline personality disorder and emotional dysregulation, on its part, as the core feature of the condition. Our results indicate that attachment anxiety explains the link between these central aspects of borderline personality disorder. Our findings are consistent with previous research and current etiological understanding of the condition and provide support for recommending a careful assessment of childhood traumatic experiences and adult attachment style to gain a more comprehensive insight into the symptoms and its heterogeneity. As a secondary aim, we assessed the effect parental mental illness may have in these mediation models, but no significant influence on childhood trauma, attachment or personality was found.

Risk and protective factors for psychotic experiences in adolescence: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

Psychotic experiences (PEs) are reported by a significant minority of adolescents and are associated with the development of psychiatric disorders. The aims of this study were to examine associations between PEs and a range of factors including psychopathology, adversity and lifestyle, and to investigate mediating effects of coping style and parental support on associations between adversity and PEs in a general population adolescent sample.

METHOD

Cross-sectional data were drawn from the Irish centre of the Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe study. Students completed a self-report questionnaire and 973 adolescents, of whom 522 (53.6%) were boys, participated. PEs were assessed using the 7-item Adolescent Psychotic Symptom Screener.

RESULTS

Of the total sample, 81 (8.7%) of the sample were found to be at risk of PEs. In multivariate analysis, associations were found between PEs and number of adverse events reported (OR 4.48, CI 1.41-14.25; p < 0.011), maladaptive/pathological internet use (OR 2.70, CI 1.30-5.58; p = 0.007), alcohol intoxication (OR 2.12, CI 1.10-4.12; p = 0.025) and anxiety symptoms (OR 4.03, CI 1.57-10.33; p = 0.004). There were small mediating effects of parental supervision, parental support and maladaptive coping on associations between adversity and PEs.

CONCLUSION

We have identified potential risk factors for PEs from multiple domains including adversity, mental health and lifestyle factors. The mediating effect of parental support on associations between adversity and PEs suggests that poor family relationships may account for some of this mechanism. These findings can inform the development of interventions for adolescents at risk.

Types, prevalence and gender differences of childhood trauma in first-episode psychosis. What is the evidence that childhood trauma is related to symptoms and functional outcomes in first episode psychosis? A systematic review

This paper reviews and discusses the literature on childhood trauma (CT) in people with first-episode psychosis (FEP). The aim is to update the knowledge on the prevalence and the types of CT suffered by FEP people, to compare them with other samples, to study the impact of gender, and to examine the relationship between CT and symptoms and functional outcomes. We conducted a literature search (1995-2019), to identify reported data on any topic related to CT in FEP samples. The following terms were used in the search: CT or sexual abuse or physical abuse or neglect, and first-episode psychosis. We found 493 studies, of which 68 were included in the review. FEP presented a higher prevalence of CT than controls. Women suffer more sexual abuse. The effect of CT on the severity, the prognosis and the evolution of FEP is unclear. FEP have a high prevalence of CT. Its relationship with symptoms and functional outcomes indicates its importance within treatment. This suggests the importance of creating and implementing specific interventions and personalized therapies addressed to work through their past traumatic experiences to improve their quality of live and their prognosis.

'I do not know where it comes from, I am suspicious of some childhood trauma' association of trauma with psychosis according to the experience of those affected

BACKGROUND

Trauma-related symptoms are often experienced after a first psychotic episode.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we conduct a qualitative analysis of referred traumatic experiences of outpatients diagnosed with psychotic disorders.

METHOD

Focus groups were formed and in-depth interviews conducted with 30 participants, focusing on their experience with the disorder and the health care received. Given the frequency with which trauma and psychosis have been associated in the scientific literature, the nature of this relation is addressed as a secondary objective, via a qualitative analysis.

RESULTS

Analysis revealed two main themes in the patients' discourse. On many occasions, traumatic experiences were related to the development of the disorder. Although most participants referred to traumatic experiences during childhood, episodes during adult life were also reported, which may have triggered the disorder. The second theme was that of the interlocking relationship between the psychotic experience and certain coercive practices undergone during the provision of health care for psychosis, and the traumatic effects thus generated.

CONCLUSIONS

The participants considered both themes to be highly important. Accordingly, these issues should be carefully assessed and managed in order to provide appropriate person-centred care.

INTERVENING VARIABLES OF BURNOUT IN HEALTH PROFESSIONALS OF EMERGENCY SERVICES

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the association between Burnout, stress, mental suffering and other personal and work factors associated with this syndrome. Method: cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational study with 282 health professionals from the emergency services of the city of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, collected from October 2015 to March 2016. The instruments used were: sociodemographic questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Stress Symptom Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, Psychiatric Screening Questionnaire, Fantastic Lifestyle Checklist, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Descriptive writing of the data. Pearson's Chi-Square or Fisher's Exact Tests to check the association between variables and later regression analysis, in which ORs were calculated, with 95% CI and 5% significance level. Results: there was statistical evidence of an association between Burnout and education, early stress, stress, common mental disorders, lifestyle, anxiety and depression. The regression analysis shows that the variables that influence Burnout are: type of service (p=0.032; OR=0.187), education (p=0.029; OR=2.313), perception of stress (p=0.037; OR=1.67) and social readjustment (p=0.031; OR=1.279). Conclusion: this study points to a profile for the development of Burnout, consisting of health professionals with higher education, who suffered early stress, who have symptoms and perception of stress, who do not have a healthy lifestyle and show symptoms of mental suffering. Such results can assist in the development and implementation of strategies aimed at reducing both work stress and the prevalence of Burnout syndrome.

Associations between parental bonding during childhood and functional recovery in patients with schizophrenia

Introduction

Schizophrenia is believed to be etiologically associated with environmental factors. Poor parental bonding, especially arising from “low care” and “overprotection,” may contribute to the prognosis in patients with psychosis. In the present study, we investigated the associations between the aforementioned two different parental bonding types and the prognosis, in terms of the functional recovery, of patients with schizophrenia.

Methods

A total of 89 patients with schizophrenia were recruited, and 79 patients were registered for the study. After the parental bonding types and representative childhood adverse events were assessed, specific items on the PANSS were assessed at 0 and 24 weeks of the study period to define the functional prognosis.

Results

At the end of the 24-week follow-up period, 36% of the patients were judged as showing recovery from schizophrenia. The score for “overprotective attitude,” but not that for “low care,” was found to be significantly higher in the non-recovery (defined below) group. Exploratory logistic regression analysis identified only “overprotective attitude” of the parents as being predictive of non-recovery. Moreover, a significant negative correlation was found between “low care” and “overprotective attitude” only in the non-recovery group.

Conclusion

In the present study, we showed that an overprotective attitude of the parents was associated with non-recovery in patients with schizophrenia.

Childhood adversity and borderline personality disorder: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this meta-analysis was to better understand the magnitude and consistency of the association between childhood adversity and borderline personality disorder (BPD) across case-control, epidemiological and prospective cohort studies.

METHOD

Following the review protocol (reference: CRD42017075179), search terms pertaining to adversity and BPD were entered into three search engines. Random-effects meta-analysis synthesised the size and consistency of the effects.

RESULTS

A total of 97 studies compared BPD to non-clinical (k = 40) and clinical (k = 70) controls. Meta-analysis of case-control studies indicated that individuals with BPD are 13.91 (95% CI 11.11-17.43) times more likely to report childhood adversity than non-clinical controls. This effect was smaller when considering retrospective cohort (OR: 2.59; 95% CI 0.93-7.30) and epidemiological (OR: 2.56, 95% CI 1.24-5.30) studies. Findings were significant across adversity subtypes with emotional abuse (OR: 38.11, 95% CI: 25.99-55.88) and neglect (OR: 17.73, 95% CI = 13.01-24.17) demonstrating the largest effects. Individuals with BPD were 3.15 (95% CI 2.62-3.79) times more likely to report childhood adversity than other psychiatric groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis corroborates theoretical proposals that exposure to adverse life experiences is associated with BPD. It highlights the importance of considering childhood adversity when treating people diagnosed with BPD.

Childhood maltreatment and risk for suicide attempts in major depression: a sex-specific approach

Background: Childhood maltreatment increases the risk of suicide attempts in the general population, possibly having similar effects among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The few studies that have addressed this association have been restricted to specific populations (e.g. treatment-resistant depression, personality disorders) and have rarely taken sex into account. Objective: To examine the impact of childhood maltreatment on suicide attempts among MDD patients above and beyond other risk factors and potential confounders, while considering potential sex-specific effects. Methods: The study assessed 165 patients with a principal diagnosis of MDD. Neurological alterations, psychiatric comorbidities, and drug abuse were reasons for exclusion. Logistic regressions using the whole sample, and divided by sex, were run to test the association between childhood maltreatment and history of suicide attempts, controlling for symptom severity, comorbidities, and treatment-resistant depression. Results: There was a significant and clinically relevant association between childhood maltreatment and history of suicide attempts in the total sample. Patients with childhood maltreatment were 3.01 times more likely to present a history of suicide attempts than patients without childhood maltreatment. A family history of psychiatric disorders also contributed to the variance of attempted suicide, but its interaction with childhood maltreatment was not statistically significant. When testing the model separately, the effect of childhood maltreatment on suicide attempts remained for females, whereas for males, age of MDD onset and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire minimization-denial scale were predictive variables. Conclusions: Childhood maltreatment is a clear predictor of suicidal behaviour among MDD patients, and this effect remains significant after controlling for potential confounders. Also, the sex of patients emerges as a relevant factor that may model the mechanisms underlying the prediction of suicide attempts. Since suicide is the main cause of premature death among MDD patients, interventions targeting childhood maltreatment should be included in preventive and clinical strategies.

Negative symptoms and recollections of parental rejection: The moderating roles of psychological maladjustment and gender

The aim of the study was to investigate the moderating roles of the current self-reported psychological maladjustment and gender in the relationship between perceived parental rejection in childhood and negative symptoms of schizophrenia patients. The study sample consisted of 52 outpatients (20 females and 32 males between the ages of 19 and 61), diagnosed with schizophrenia at Ankara University and Ege University Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry in Turkey. Participants' negative symptoms, recollections of parental rejection, and psychological maladjustment were assessed by Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire, and Personality Assessment Questionnaire, respectively. The findings revealed that negative symptoms were not directly linked to maternal and paternal rejection. However, negative symptoms significantly associated with psychological maladjustment. Three-way interaction (moderated moderation) analyses showed that the effects of perceived maternal and paternal rejection in childhood on negative symptoms were significantly moderated by the current self-reported psychological maladjustment for female patients with schizophrenia, but not for males. The study highlighted the importance of applying trauma or attachment-focused interventions and a gender-specific psychiatric treatment in schizophrenia.

Parental style and Cloninger's model in psychosis

Parental style and Cloninger's dimensions are associated with psychosis, but it is still unclear whether temperament, character and parenting variables are linked to specific psychotic symptoms. This study extends previous research exploring these issues. 78 patients with psychosis and 156 control subjects were recruited. Parental style was evaluated using the Measure of Parental Style. Temperament and character were evaluated using the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised. Psychotic symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. T-tests, correlations and moderation and mediation analyses were performed. Patients reported dysfunctional parenting and had higher scores for harm avoidance (HA) and self transcendence (ST), and lower scores for self directedness (SD) and cooperativeness (CO) than controls. Maternal indifference, abuse and overcontrol were correlated with positive symptoms (PS). Novelty seeking (NS), reward dependence, SD, CO were correlated with PS; HA and ST were correlated with negative symptoms. After adjusting for age, gender and family history of psychopathology lower CO partially mediated the relationship between maternal abuse and PS; the positive NS-maternal abuse interaction was associated with PS. Different parenting and personality variables may be associated with different psychotic symptoms. NS and CO may be part of a pathway between maternal abuse and PS.

Evidence That Environmental and Familial Risks for Psychosis Additively Impact a Multidimensional Subthreshold Psychosis Syndrome

BACKGROUND

The observed link between positive psychotic experiences (PE) and psychosis spectrum disorder (PSD) may be stronger depending on concomitant presence of PE with other dimensions of psychopathology. We examined whether the effect of common risk factors for PSD on PE is additive and whether the impact of risk factors on the occurrence of PE depends on the co-occurrence of other symptom dimensions (affective dysregulation, negative symptoms, and cognitive alteration).

METHOD

Data from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study 2 were used. Risk factors included childhood adversity, cannabis use, urbanicity, foreign born, hearing impairment, and family history of affective disorders. Logistic regression models were applied to test (1) the additive effect of risk factors (4 levels) on PE and (2) the moderating effects of symptom dimensions on the association between risk factors (present/absent) and PE, using additive interaction, expressed as the interaction contrast ratio.

RESULTS

Risk factors were additive: the greater the number of risk factors, the greater the odds of PE. Furthermore, concomitant presence of the other symptom dimensions all increased the impact of risk factors on PE. After controlling for age, sex, and education, only affective dysregulation and negative symptoms remained significant moderators; only affective dysregulation remained a significant moderator if all dimensions were adjusted for each other.

CONCLUSIONS

Risk factors may not be directly associated with PE but additively give rise to a multidimensional subthreshold state anticipating the multidimensional clinical syndrome. Early motivational and cognitive impairments in the context of PE may be reducible to affective dysregulation.

Mechanisms underlying metabolic disturbances associated with psychosis and antipsychotic drug treatment

The increase in cardiovascular disease and reduced life expectancy in schizophrenia likely relate to an increased prevalence of metabolic disturbances. Such metabolic risk factors in schizophrenia may result from both symptom-related effects and aetiological factors. However, a major contributory factor is that of treatment with antipsychotic drugs. These drugs differ in effects on body weight; the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood and may vary between drugs, but may include actions at receptors associated with the hypothalamic control of food intake. Evidence supports 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2C and dopamine D2 receptor antagonism as well as antagonism at histamine H1 and muscarinic M3 receptors. These M3 receptors may also mediate the effects of some drugs on glucose regulation. Several antipsychotics showing little propensity for weight gain, such as aripiprazole, have protective pharmacological mechanisms, rather than just the absence of a hyperphagic effect. In addition to drug differences, there is large individual variation in antipsychotic drug-induced weight gain. This pharmacogenetic association reflects genetic variation in several drug targets, including the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2C, as well as genes involved in obesity and metabolic disturbances. Thus predictive genetic testing for drug-induced weight gain would represents a first step towards personalised medicine addressing this severe and problematic iatrogenic disease.

Relations among adults' remembrances of parental acceptance-rejection in childhood, self-reported psychological adjustment, and adult psychopathology

AIMS

The aim of the study was to examine relationships among recollections of maternal and paternal acceptance-rejection in childhood and the level of psychological adjustment among adults diagnosed with schizophrenia, social anxiety, and nonclinical control. The study focused primarily on adults with schizophrenia and social anxiety in comparison to nonclinical adults.

METHODS

Fifty-three adults diagnosed with schizophrenia, 51 adults with self-reported social anxiety, and 147 nonclinical controls between the ages of 18 and 62 participated in the study. Data were collected using adult versions of the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire for mothers and for fathers, Personality Assessment Questionnaire, Brief Symptom Inventory, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, and the Demographic Information Form.

RESULTS

Findings of analyses showed that participants in the schizophrenia and social anxiety groups remembered having experienced significantly more maternal rejection in childhood than did the nonclinical group. Patient with schizophrenia also reported more recollections of paternal rejection than the nonclinical group. Both clinical groups self-reported more psychological maladjustment than did the nonclinical group. Regression analysis indicated that even though the overall psychological adjustment of adults diagnosed with schizophrenia was predicted by both maternal and paternal acceptance-rejection, psychological adjustment of adults in the social anxiety group was predicted only by maternal (but not paternal) acceptance-rejection.

CONCLUSION

This study provides evidence about the long-lasting associations between adults' recollections of parental acceptance-rejection in childhood and their psychological adjustment in two mental disorders, in which genetic and environmental factors have a different weight.