Auditory verbal hallucinations and childhood trauma subtypes across the psychosis continuum: a cluster analysis

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the traumatogenic phenotype hypothesis of psychosis

BACKGROUND

Developmental trauma increases psychosis risk and is associated with poor prognosis. It has been proposed that psychosis in survivors of developmental trauma gives rise to a distinct 'traumatogenic' phenotype.

AIMS

Given the implications for personalised treatment, we sought to explore the traumatogenic psychosis phenotype hypothesis in a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing psychotic presentations between adults with and without developmental trauma histories.

METHOD

We registered the systematic review on PROSPERO (CRD42019131245) and systematically searched EMBASE, Medline and PsycINFO. The outcomes of interests were quantitative and qualitative comparisons in psychotic symptom expression (positive, negative, cognitive) and other domains of psychopathology, including affect regulation, sleep, depression and anxiety, between adults with and without experience of developmental trauma.

RESULTS

Of 34 studies included (N = 13 150), 11 were meta-analysed (n = 2842). A significant relationship was found between developmental trauma and increased symptom severity for positive (Hedge's g = 0.27; 95% CI 0.10-0.44; P = 0.002), but not negative symptoms (Hedge's g = 0.13; 95% CI -0.04 to 0.30; P = 0.14). Developmental trauma was associated with greater neurocognitive, specifically executive, deficits, as well as poorer affect, dissociation and social cognition. Furthermore, psychotic symptom content thematically related to traumatic memories in survivors of developmental trauma.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings that developmental trauma is associated with more severe positive and affective symptoms, and qualitative differences in symptom expression, support the notion that there may be a traumatogenic psychosis phenotype. However, underdiagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder may also explain some of these findings. More research is needed to explore this further.

Cluster analysis exploring the impact of childhood neglect on cognitive function in patients with bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe mental disorder related to neurocognitive deficits. Exposure to childhood trauma is associated with worse cognitive performance. Different compositions of childhood trauma in BD and their impacts on cognition are rarely reported.

METHODS

We used the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Affective Disorders (BAC-A) to assess cognitive performance and the Chinese version of the Short Form of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (C-CTQ-SF) to assess childhood trauma experience among 55 euthymic BD patients. Cluster analysis was applied to dissect their childhood trauma experiences, which revealed three distinct clusters: a low trauma group, neglect-focus group, and multiple-trauma-experience group. We compared the cognitive function between the three clusters and used a generalized linear model to evaluate the impact of childhood neglect on cognitive domains.

RESULTS

The neglect-focus cluster showed prominent exposures to physical and emotional neglect (41.8%). BD patients in this cluster performed worse in BAC-A compared with patients in the multiple trauma cluster, especially in working memory and processing speed. The neglect-focus group revealed a significant negative effect on the composite score (ß = -0.904, p = 0.025) and working memory (ß = -1.150, p = 0.002) after adjusting sex, age, education year, BMI and total psychotropic defined daily dose.

CONCLUSIONS

Distinct patterns of childhood trauma experience are seen in BD patients and are related with different cognitive profiles. Early exposure of neglect-focus trauma was associated with the worst cognitive performance in current study. Further studies investigating the intensity of the neglect, as well as individual resilience and coping mechanisms in BD, are warranted.

Investigating Specific Associations Between Childhood Victimization Profiles and Positive Psychosis Symptoms: The Mediating Roles of Anxiety, Depression, and Schema

Background

Childhood trauma is a risk factor for psychosis. It is proposed this is due to traumatic events giving rise to psychological mechanisms that are implicated in the development and maintenance of symptoms. Investigation of the psychological mechanisms accounting for relationships between trauma and psychosis will be assisted by focusing on specific trauma profiles, hallucination modalities, and delusion subtypes.

Study Design

In 171 adults with schizophrenia-spectrum diagnoses and high-conviction delusions, associations between childhood trauma classes, and hallucination and delusion factors, were tested using structural equation models (SEMs). Anxiety, depression, and negative schema were examined as potential mediators of trauma class-psychosis symptom factor links.

Study Results

Significant associations were found between the emotional abuse/neglect and poly-victimization classes with persecutory delusions and delusions of influence, that were all mediated through anxiety (β = 1.24-0.23, P = < .05). There was an association between the physical abuse class and grandiose/religious delusions that was not explained by the mediators (β = 1.86, P = < .05). Trauma class was not significantly associated with any hallucination modality (β = 0.004-1.46, P = > .05).

Conclusions

In a sample of people with strongly held delusions, this study demonstrates that childhood victimization is associated with delusions of influence and grandiose beliefs, as well as with persecutory delusions in psychosis. Consistent with previous findings, the potent, mediating role of anxiety supports affective pathway theories and the utility of targeting threat-related processes when treating trauma effects in psychosis.

Changes in positive and negative voice content in cognitive-behavioural therapy for distressing voices

OBJECTIVE

People who experience distressing voices frequently report negative (e.g. abusive or threatening) voice content and this is a key driver of distress. There has also been recognition that positive (e.g. reassuring, or guiding) voice content contributes to better outcomes. Despite this, voice content has been neglected as a standalone outcome in evaluations of psychological therapies for distressing voices. We aimed to examine whether a modular cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention for voices led to changes in negative and positive voice content.

DESIGN/METHODS

In a naturalistic, uncontrolled pre- and post- service evaluation study, 32 clients at an outpatient psychology service for distressing voices received eight sessions of CBT for distressing voices and completed self-report measures of negative and positive voice content at pre-, mid- and post- therapy.

RESULTS

There was no significant change in positive voice content. There was no significant change in negative voice content from pre- to post-therapy; however, there was a significant change in negative voice content between mid and post-treatment in which the cognitive therapy component was delivered. The CBT treatment was also associated with significant changes in routinely reported outcomes of voice-related distress and voice severity.

CONCLUSIONS

The cognitive component of CBT for distressing voices may be associated with changes in negative, but not positive, voice content. There may be benefit to enhancing these effects by developing treatments targeting specific processes involved in negative and positive voice content and further exploring efficacy in well-powered, controlled trials with more comprehensive measures of voice content.

Hallucinations in the Child and Adolescent "Ultra-High Risk" population: A Systematic Review

Background and Hypothesis

"Ultra-high risk" for psychosis young adults are assumed to be at higher risk of developing a psychotic spectrum disorder. Predominantly, the ultrahigh-risk population is aged 18-35 years, but it may also include younger children and adolescents. Individuals in this population experience psychosis prodromes in the form of attenuated or brief psychotic symptoms (particularly perceptual abnormalities). Albeit diagnosis is made via structured interviews, such measures fail to sufficiently assess the precise form and content of perceptual abnormalities, especially as they manifest in children and adolescents.

Study Design

The present study involved a systematic review of the literature on perceptual abnormalities (particularly hallucinations) in ultrahigh-risk children and adolescents.

Results

The analysis reviewed five studies and drew conclusions about the perceptual abnormalities (ie, hallucinations) experienced by the study samples, focusing on form, content, and associations with other symptoms. Of note, 2 of the investigated studies suggested a relationship between hallucinations and experiences of childhood trauma.

Conclusions

The transition to psychosis and experiences of childhood trauma could correspond to different types of hallucinations in ultrahigh-risk children and adolescents. This knowledge could improve the identification of prodromal states in the young, ultrahigh-risk population.