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Igra L, Shilon S, Kivity Y, Atzil-Slonim D, Lavi-Rotenberg A, Hasson-Ohayon I. Examining the associations between difficulties in emotion regulation and symptomatic outcome measures among individuals with different mental disorders. Front Psychol 2023; 14:944457. [PMID: 36998365 PMCID: PMC10043222 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.944457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundDifficulties in emotion regulation (ER) abilities have been found to play a central role in different psychiatric disorders. However, researchers rarely compare ER across different diagnostic groups. In the current study, we examined ER and its relation to functional and symptomatic outcome among three distinct diagnostic groups: people with schizophrenia (SCZ), people with emotional disorders (EDs; i.e., depression and/or anxiety), and individuals without any psychiatric diagnosis (controls).MethodsParticipants in this study comprised 108 adults who requested psychotherapy at a community clinic in the year 2015 and between 2017 and 2019. Clients were interviewed and filled out questionnaires measuring depression, distress, and difficulties in ER abilities.ResultsResults showed that individuals with psychiatric diagnoses reported higher levels of difficulties in ER abilities than did controls. Moreover, there were very few differences in levels of ER difficulty between SCZ and EDs. Further, the associations between maladaptive ER and psychological outcomes were significant in each diagnostic group, and especially for SCZ.ConclusionOur study indicates that difficulties in ER abilities partially have a transdiagnostic nature, and that these difficulties are associated with psychological outcomes among both clinical populations and controls. There were very few differences in levels of ER ability difficulties between SCZ and EDs, suggesting that the two groups share difficulties in relating and responding to emotional distress. The associations between difficulties in ER abilities and outcome were more robust and stronger among SCZ than the other groups, highlighting the potential contribution of targeting ER abilities in the treatment of schizophrenia.
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2
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Raugh IM, Strauss GP. Deconstructing emotion regulation in schizophrenia: the nature and consequences of abnormalities at the identification stage. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2022; 272:1061-1071. [PMID: 34716486 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-021-01350-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Existing evidence suggests that emotion regulation is abnormal in schizophrenia and associated with undesirable clinical outcomes. However, this literature is based predominantly on trait self-report and does not indicate which stages of emotion regulation (identification, selection, implementation) are impaired. The current study focused on determining the nature of abnormalities at the identification stage using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Participants included clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia (SZ; n = 48) and healthy controls (CN; n = 52) who completed 6 days of EMA. The EMA surveys assessed emotional experience, emotion regulation, and symptoms. Results indicated that SZ identified the need to regulate at a higher rate than CN. Specifically, SZ displayed an inefficient threshold for identifying the need to regulate, such that they regulated too much when negative affect was low and too little when negative affect was high. Emotion regulation effort exertion was also inefficient, such that effort was too high at low levels of negative affect and too low at high levels of negative affect in SZ. These identification stage abnormalities also demonstrated differential associations with positive and negative symptoms. Findings suggest that identification stage abnormalities may create a bottleneck that feeds forward and impacts subsequent stages of emotion regulation in SZ that are critically related to symptoms. Targeting the psychological processes underlying these identification stage abnormalities might offer a novel means of treating positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian M Raugh
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 125 Baldwin St, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Gregory P Strauss
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 125 Baldwin St, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
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3
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Pathways from insecure attachment to paranoia: the mediating role of emotion regulation. Behav Cogn Psychother 2022; 50:404-417. [DOI: 10.1017/s1352465822000029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background:
Paranoia is common across the clinical and non-clinical spectrum. Cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis currently yields modest results, warranting research into symptom-specific maintenance factors to improve outcomes. There is strong evidence of a relationship between insecure attachment and increased paranoia, but little is known about the mediating mechanisms. Emotion dysregulation is associated with both insecure attachment and paranoia, and a candidate causal mechanism.
Aims:
This study aimed to determine if emotion dysregulation mediates the association between attachment and paranoia.
Method:
Sixty-two individuals with elevated paranoia were recruited from NHS services and community settings across the South of England. Mediation analyses were conducted on trait attachment, emotion regulation and paranoia variables, which were collected at one time point.
Results:
As predicted, emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between attachment avoidance and paranoia, and between attachment anxiety and paranoia. Emotion suppression did not mediate the relationship between attachment avoidance and paranoia, possibly due to power. Attachment avoidance correlated with deactivating emotion regulation strategies (e.g. lack of emotional awareness) and attachment anxiety correlated with hyperactivating emotion regulation strategies (e.g. impulse control difficulties). Both deactivating and hyperactivating strategies correlated with paranoia.
Conclusion:
Emotion dysregulation is not routinely targeted in cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis. This study suggests that incorporating emotion regulation strategies in therapy may improve clinical outcomes. Experimental studies are now required to support a causal argument, and pilot intervention studies should investigate if emotion regulation skills development (aligned with attachment style) is effective in reducing non-clinical and clinical paranoia.
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4
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Gerhart J, Russ EU, Alonzi S, Hoerger M. Shame in Response to Affective Expression and Its Relation to Social Anhedonia and Schizotypy Traits. J Nerv Ment Dis 2022; 210:54-60. [PMID: 34982751 DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0000000000001412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Schizotypy is marked by negative symptoms including blunted affect, social isolation, and social anhedonia. Contemporary personality theory suggests that maladaptive shame regulation may disrupt interpersonal function across personality disorders. We hypothesized that "affect shame"-a conditioned response of shame evoked by openly expressing emotions would co-occur with interpersonal deficits in schizotypy. As hypothesized, affect shame was associated with interpersonal deficits (r = 0.17, p < 0.001), physical anhedonia (r = 0.13, p = 0.001), and social anhedonia (r = 0.17, p = 0.001). The observed findings were upheld in analyses controlling for demographic characteristics, depression symptom severity, and neuroticism and were maintained consistently across sensitivity analyses. Findings suggest that shame related to emotional expression is related to interpersonal deficits in schizotypy and have implications for our understanding of the etiology and treatment of this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Gerhart
- Department of Psychology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
| | - Eric U Russ
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Sarah Alonzi
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Michael Hoerger
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
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5
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Vargas T, Damme KSF, Ered A, Capizzi R, Frosch I, Ellman LM, Mittal VA. Neuroimaging Markers of Resiliency in Youth at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis: A Qualitative Review. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2021; 6:166-177. [PMID: 32788085 PMCID: PMC7725930 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Psychotic disorders are highly debilitating and constitute a major public health burden. Identifying markers of psychosis risk and resilience is a necessary step toward understanding etiology and informing prevention and treatment efforts in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. In this context, it is important to consider that neural risk markers have been particularly useful in identifying mechanistic determinants along with predicting clinical outcomes. Notably, despite a growing body of supportive literature and the promise of recent findings identifying potential neural markers, the current work on CHR resilience markers has received little attention. The present review provides a brief overview of brain-based risk markers with a focus on predicting symptom course. Next, the review turns to protective markers, examining research from nonpsychiatric and schizophrenia fields to build an understanding of framing, priorities, and potential, applying these ideas to contextualizing a small but informative body of resiliency-relevant CHR research. Four domains (neurocognition, emotion regulation, allostatic load, and sensory and sensorimotor function) were identified and are discussed in terms of behavioral and neural markers. Taken together, the literature suggests significant predictive value for brain-based markers for individuals at CHR for psychosis, and the limited but compelling resiliency work highlights the critical importance of expanding this promising area of inquiry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Vargas
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
| | | | - Arielle Ered
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Riley Capizzi
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Isabelle Frosch
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Lauren M Ellman
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Vijay A Mittal
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; Department of Psychiatry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
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6
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Hickey T, Nelson B, Meadows G. Application of a mindfulness and compassion‐based approach to the at‐risk mental state. CLIN PSYCHOL-UK 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/cp.12132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tara Hickey
- Southern Synergy, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,
| | - Barnaby Nelson
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,
| | - Graham Meadows
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia,
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7
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Clara DL, Frank L, Stéphane R, Etienne Q, Julien L. Exploration of the paranoia hierarchy in the general population: evidence of an age effect mediated by maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. Cogn Neuropsychiatry 2020; 25:387-403. [PMID: 33016249 DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2020.1824868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Positive psychotic symptoms are suggested to be more prevalent in early adulthood. However, no previous study has examined a potential age effect especially for paranoia considering social reference and persecution as separated hierarchical dimension. Moreover, no previous study has examined the mechanisms involved in the decrease of paranoia with age. This study aims to explore (1) the age effect on paranoia and (2) whether the age effect is mediated by maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (MERS). Methods: A sample of 1644 participants from the general population completed the Green et al., Paranoid Thoughts Scale with measures of MERS and was split into three age groups (18-29; 30-54; 55-82). Results: Age groups comparisons revealed a significant decrease of social reference with age but not of persecution. Mediation analyses indicated that this age effect was partially mediated by MERS. Additional analyses suggested that social reference moderated the relation between age and persecution. Conclusions: The present study showed that social reference and persecution are not equally affected by age and that MERS are important factors to consider when trying to understand the nature of paranoia. Finally, a younger age and the use of MERS are suggested to be risk factors for developing paranoia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Della Libera Clara
- Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Larøi Frank
- Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.,Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Norwegian Center for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Raffard Stéphane
- University Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 & University Department of Adult Psychiatry, Laboratory Epsylon, EA 4556, CHU Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Quertemont Etienne
- Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Laloyaux Julien
- Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.,Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Norwegian Center for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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8
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Lawlor C, Hepworth C, Smallwood J, Carter B, Jolley S. Self-reported emotion regulation difficulties in people with psychosis compared with non-clinical controls: A systematic literature review. Clin Psychol Psychother 2020; 27:107-135. [PMID: 31661593 DOI: 10.1002/cpp.2408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Emotions play a key role in the development and experience of psychosis, yet there are important gaps in our understanding of how individuals with psychosis understand and respond to their emotions. This systematic review investigated self-reported emotion regulation difficulties in individuals with psychosis compared with non-clinical controls. An electronic database search was conducted in Medline, PsychINFO, and Embase and supplemented by searches of reference lists and citations. Seventeen studies were included. A narrative synthesis was conducted because contextual diversity was present across the studies and outcomes. Individuals with psychosis reported greater difficulties in (i) emotional clarity (specifically with identifying, describing, and understanding their emotions), (ii) emotional acceptance, (iii) engaging in goal-directed behaviours when experiencing negative emotions, and (iv) willingness to experience emotional distress in the pursuit of meaningful activities in life. Evidence pertaining to other self-reported emotion regulation difficulties was less clear. Effect sizes were generally large in magnitude but there were few studies on some self-reported emotion regulation difficulties, and all studies were at moderate to high risk of bias. Further research is needed to clarify the nature of emotion regulation difficulties in individuals with psychosis to inform the provision of targeted clinical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Lawlor
- North Lambeth Focused Support Team, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.,Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Claire Hepworth
- North Lambeth Focused Support Team, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Jane Smallwood
- North Lambeth Focused Support Team, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Ben Carter
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Suzanne Jolley
- North Lambeth Focused Support Team, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.,Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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9
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Perchtold CM, Weiss EM, Rominger C, Fink A, Weber H, Papousek I. Cognitive reappraisal capacity mediates the relationship between prefrontal recruitment during reappraisal of anger-eliciting events and paranoia-proneness. Brain Cogn 2019; 132:108-117. [PMID: 30980988 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2019.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Difficulties in emotion regulation, particularly in using adaptive regulation strategies such as cognitive reappraisal, are a commonly observed correlate of paranoia. While it has been suggested that poor implementation of cognitive reappraisal in dealing with aversive events precedes the onset of subclinical paranoid thinking, there is little empirical research on neural activation patterns during cognitive reappraisal efforts that might indicate vulnerability towards paranoid thinking. Prefrontal EEG alpha asymmetry changes were recorded while n = 57 participants were generating alternative appraisals of anger-eliciting events, and were linked to a behavioral measure of basic cognitive reappraisal capacity and self-reported paranoia proneness (assessed by personality facets of hostility and suspiciousness; Personality Inventory for DSM-5). Mediation analysis revealed that less left-lateralized activation at ventrolateral prefrontal sites during reappraisal efforts predicted a higher degree of paranoia proneness. This relationship was mediated through poorer cognitive reappraisal capacity. Matching previous evidence, findings suggest that inappropriate brain activation during reappraisal efforts impairs individuals' capacity to come up with effective alternative interpretations for anger-evoking situations, which may accentuate personality features related to increased paranoid thinking. The findings add to our understanding of neurally underpinned impairments in the capacity to generate cognitive reappraisals and their link to maladaptive personality and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Andreas Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria.
| | - Hannelore Weber
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Germany.
| | - Ilona Papousek
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria. https://psychologie.uni-graz.at/en/biological-psychology/team/
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10
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Gay MC, Baker R, Vrignaud P, Thomas P, Heinzlef O, Haag P, Banovic I, Thomas S. Cross-cultural validation of a French version of the Emotional Processing Scale (EPS-25). EUROPEAN REVIEW OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.erap.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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11
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Vignaud P, Reilly KT, Donde C, Haesebaert F, Brunelin J. Clinical Effects of Mindfulness-Based Intervention in Patients With First Episode Psychosis and in Individuals With Ultra-High Risk for Transition to Psychosis: A Review. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:797. [PMID: 31736811 PMCID: PMC6837071 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Recent clinical studies and meta-analyses have reported the clinical effects of mindfulness-based interventions as a complementary treatment for patients with schizophrenia, but their possible efficacy in patients with first episode of psychosis (FEP) and in individuals with ultra-high risk (UHR) of transition to psychosis is less clear. Here, we investigated the current evidence on the usefulness of mindfulness-based interventions in these two populations. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the literature according to the PRISMA guidelines. Results: Among the 102 references retrieved, 9 responded to the inclusion criteria (8 in FEP patients and 1 in UHR individuals). In FEP patients, mindfulness interventions are well-tolerated and have a satisfactory level of adherence. The clinical benefits consist primarily of reduced anxiety and sadness and improved quality of life. None of the studies reported any increase in positive symptoms. Conclusion: Future sham-controlled studies with large sample sizes are needed to definitively conclude on the clinical interest of mindfulness-based interventions in FEP patients and UHR individuals as well as to understand their underlying mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Vignaud
- INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, PSYR2 Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France.,Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bron, France
| | - Karen T Reilly
- INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, ImpAct Team, Lyon, Neuroscience Research Center, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Clément Donde
- INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, PSYR2 Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France.,Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bron, France
| | - Frédéric Haesebaert
- INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, PSYR2 Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France.,Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bron, France
| | - Jérôme Brunelin
- INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, PSYR2 Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France.,Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bron, France
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12
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Powell K, Maguire N. Paranoia and maladaptive behaviours in homelessness: The mediating role of emotion regulation. Psychol Psychother 2018; 91:363-379. [PMID: 29271069 DOI: 10.1111/papt.12166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Revised: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Current research has implicated a role for cognitive and emotional processes in the pathways to becoming homeless. Evidence implicates three risk factors, which are often associated with an increased incidence of homelessness: paranoid thinking, emotion regulation, and engaging in maladaptive behaviours. Maladaptive behaviours include deliberate self-harm, substance misuse, and high-risk sexual practices. Currently, no studies have investigated the specific psychological mechanisms, such as difficulty regulating emotions, which underpin the association between paranoia and maladaptive behaviours. DESIGN A mediational design was employed in a group of homeless individuals. METHOD Participants (N = 40), who were homeless at the time of the study, completed a single-session assessment of paranoia, emotion regulation, and maladaptive behaviours. RESULTS Mediation analyses indicated that individuals scoring high on paranoia were more likely to engage in maladaptive behaviours, particularly substance misuse and aggression, when they had difficulty regulating their emotions. These results demonstrate a novel finding relating to the effect of emotion regulation in maintaining psychopathology and behaviours in vulnerable individuals, which may in turn sustain periods of homelessness. CONCLUSIONS Emotion regulation may therefore be one particular psychological mechanism through which severe mental illness affects engagement in self-destructive behaviours in homelessness. These findings have valuable clinical implications for targeted therapeutic interventions, in this often difficult to treat homeless population. PRACTITIONER POINTS Psychosis is over-represented in the homeless population; the cycle of homelessness may be attenuated by addressing psychotic symptomology. Homeless individuals engage in drug abuse, self-harm, aggression, and high-risk sexual practices due to an inability to regulate distressing emotions effectively. Therapeutic interventions, such as MBT and DBT, which target emotion regulation difficulties, may be useful in reducing maladaptive behaviours and preventing homelessness, by providing emotion regulation strategies to cope when homeless persons become distressed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nick Maguire
- Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK
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13
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Westermann S, Gantenbein V, Caspar F, Cavelti M. Maintaining Delusional Beliefs to Satisfy and Protect Psychological Needs. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PSYCHOLOGIE-JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1027/2151-2604/a000337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Affiliation, control, and self-esteem are psychological needs that human beings attempt to satisfy and protect ( Epstein, 2003 ; Grawe, 2004 ). From a motivational perspective, behaviors, attentional and cognitive biases as well as symptoms can have an instrumental function for need satisfaction and protection ( Caspar, 2011 ). In this opinion paper, we elaborate the idea that the maintenance of delusions could be a motivated process. This approach helps to view the maintenance of delusional beliefs as a purposeful, yet mostly nonconscious, and not completely adaptive attempt to satisfy and protect psychological needs. Conclusions for case formulations, therapy planning, and therapeutic relationship building are drawn within the framework of cognitive-behavioral therapy for psychosis. In addition, limitations of the approach and future research avenues are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Westermann
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Vivien Gantenbein
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Franz Caspar
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marialuisa Cavelti
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Switzerland
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14
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Nittel CM, Lincoln TM, Lamster F, Leube D, Rief W, Kircher T, Mehl S. Expressive suppression is associated with state paranoia in psychosis: An experience sampling study on the association between adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and paranoia. BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 57:291-312. [PMID: 29460461 DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Although emotional instability and problems in emotion regulation (ER) are known to be linked to the formation and maintenance of psychosis and paranoia, it remains unclear whether the use of specific ER strategies is associated with it. The first aim of the study was to explore the association between emotional instability and paranoia. The second and third aims were to investigate whether the use of maladaptive ER strategies leads to paranoia in patients with psychosis in daily life and whether the use of more adaptive ER strategies reduces paranoia. DESIGN A prospective momentary assessment study over the course of 6 days was performed. METHOD Participants with psychosis (n = 32) reported repeatedly over six consecutive days on the presence and instability of positive and negative emotions, their use of adaptive (reappraisal, acceptance, distraction, social sharing, reflection) and maladaptive ER strategies (rumination, expressive suppression) and momentary paranoia in their daily life. RESULTS Hierarchical linear regression analysis revealed that patients with psychosis who presented pronounced instability of negative emotions showed more severe levels of state paranoia. In addition, patients with psychosis who used expressive suppression when confronted with negative emotions at one point in time presented more pronounced levels of state paranoia at the following point in time. CONCLUSION The results presented here suggest that both emotional instability and the use of expressive suppression might cause state paranoia and thus add to our understanding of causal mechanisms related to paranoia such as instability of negative emotions and the use of less adaptive ER strategies. PRACTITIONER POINTS Maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and more pronounced instability of negative emotions are relevant to paranoia in patients with psychosis and should be a special focus of CBTp interventions. Future interventions designed for patients suffering from paranoia should promote coping with unstable negative emotions and replacing or reducing maladaptive emotion regulation strategies with adaptive ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Marie Nittel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Marburg Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University of Marburg, Germany.,Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University of Marburg, Germany
| | - Tania Marie Lincoln
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Hamburg, Germany
| | - Fabian Lamster
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University of Marburg, Germany.,Center for Acute Psychiatric Disorders, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dirk Leube
- AWO Center of Mental Health, Halle, Germany
| | - Winfried Rief
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University of Marburg, Germany
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Marburg Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University of Marburg, Germany
| | - Stephanie Mehl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Marburg Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-University of Marburg, Germany.,Department of Health and Social Work, University of Applied Science, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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15
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Seo J, Choi JY. Social defeat as a mediator of the relationship between childhood trauma and paranoid ideation. Psychiatry Res 2018; 260:48-52. [PMID: 29172098 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Revised: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Social defeat, the subjective experience of viewing oneself as a failure or social outsider, is associated with various psychiatric disorders. Recent studies suggest that social defeat may play an important role in the development of psychotic disorders. This study examined the role of social defeat in the relationship between childhood trauma and paranoid ideation, a symptom of psychosis, in non-psychotic mental disorders. Psychiatric patients (N = 199) completed the Korean version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Korean version of the Defeat Scale, and Restructured Clinical Scale 6 (Ideas of Persecution) of the Korean version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2. A partial correlation analysis revealed that childhood trauma was significantly related to social defeat and paranoid ideation after controlling for age and gender. Structural equation modeling confirmed that the relationship between childhood trauma and paranoid ideation was partially mediated by social defeat. Thus, social defeat is a possible psychological mechanism underlying the association between childhood trauma and paranoia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihyeon Seo
- Department of Psychiatry, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University, 1342, Dongil-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Young Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University, 1342, Dongil-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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16
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Shi J, Yao Y, Zhan C, Mao Z, Yin F, Zhao X. The Relationship Between Big Five Personality Traits and Psychotic Experience in a Large Non-clinical Youth Sample: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation. Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:648. [PMID: 30564151 PMCID: PMC6288374 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Despite a long history of interest in personality traits and psychosis, the association between personality traits and psychotic experiences in the general population is not yet well understood. One possible factor that could influence the degree of distress from psychotic experiences is emotion regulation. The purpose of this study was to explore whether the association between personality and psychotic symptoms is already apparent in non-clinical youth as well as the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies between personality traits and psychotic experiences. Methods: Three thousand one hundred and forty seven college students were surveyed via self-report questionnaires measuring the Five-Factor model of personality, emotion regulation strategies, and psychotic experiences. Results: Neuroticism was found to be significantly positively correlated with psychotic experiences, while Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were found to be significantly negatively correlated. Both the suppression and reappraisal strategies mediated the relationship between personality traits and psychotic experiences. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that youth with certain personality traits are more likely to have psychotic experiences. The reappraisal emotion regulation strategy could serve as a protective factor against the distress of psychotic experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyu Shi
- Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Division of Medical Humanities & Behavioral Sciences, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuhong Yao
- Students Counseling Center, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenyu Zhan
- Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziyu Mao
- Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Fang Yin
- Students Counseling Center, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xudong Zhao
- Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Division of Medical Humanities & Behavioral Sciences, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Westermann S, Grezellschak S, Oravecz Z, Moritz S, Lüdtke T, Jansen A. Untangling the complex relationships between symptoms of schizophrenia and emotion dynamics in daily life: Findings from an experience sampling pilot study. Psychiatry Res 2017; 257:514-518. [PMID: 28843871 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The unfolding of emotions over time (i.e., emotion dynamics) has been characterized by baseline, intraindividual variability and regulatory tendency (return time to baseline after deflection). Mounting evidence suggests that compared to healthy individuals, individuals with schizophrenia are characterized by a more negatively valenced baseline and a higher intraindividual variability. However, the regulatory tendency has not been investigated in schizophrenia so far. We hypothesize that the severity of positive symptoms is linked to increased emotional variability and that the severity of negative symptoms is associated with an increased regulatory tendency. Fifteen individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia took part in this pilot experience sampling study and reported their emotional state ten times a day. The dynamics of valence and arousal and their relationship with symptomatology were estimated with the DynAffect model. Regulatory tendency in valence and arousal was positively associated with negative symptom severity and negatively associated with positive symptom severity. However, the severity of positive symptoms was not credibly associated with the variability of valence. The study only partly corroborates findings on increased stress reactivity in schizophrenia, which might be due to the small sample size. However, results suggest that negative symptoms could stem from over-regulated emotion dynamics, which may impede goal-directed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Westermann
- University of Bern, Institute of Psychology, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Sarah Grezellschak
- Laboratory of Multimodal Neuroimaging and Core-Unit Brainimaging, Faculty of Medicine, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Zita Oravecz
- Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
| | - Steffen Moritz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thies Lüdtke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Jansen
- Laboratory of Multimodal Neuroimaging and Core-Unit Brainimaging, Faculty of Medicine, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Core-Unit Brainimaging, Faculty of Medicine, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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18
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A structural equation model of the relationship between insomnia, negative affect, and paranoid thinking. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186233. [PMID: 29049381 PMCID: PMC5648154 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A growing body of evidence points to relationships between insomnia, negative affect, and paranoid thinking. However, studies are needed to examine (i) whether negative affect mediates the relation between insomnia and paranoid thinking, (ii) whether different types of insomnia exert different effects on paranoia, and (iii) to compare the impact of objective and self-reported sleeping difficulties. Method Structural equation modelling was therefore used to test competing models of the relationships between self-reported insomnia, negative affect, and paranoia. n = 348 participants completed measures of insomnia, negative affect and paranoia. A subset of these participants (n = 91) went on to monitor their sleep objectively (using a portable sleep monitor made by Zeo) for seven consecutive nights. Associations between objectively recorded sleep, negative affect, and paranoia were explored using linear regression. Results The findings supported a fully mediated model where self-reported delayed sleep onset, but not self-reported problems with sleep maintenance or objective measures of sleep, was directly associated with negative affect that, in turn, was associated with paranoia. There was no evidence of a direct association between delayed sleep onset or sleep maintenance problems and paranoia. Conclusions Taken together, the findings point to an association between perceived (but not objective) difficulties initially falling asleep (but not maintaining sleep) and paranoid thinking; a relationship that is fully mediated by negative affect. Future research should seek to disentangle the causal relationships between sleep, negative affect, and paranoia (e.g., by examining the effect of an intervention using prospective designs that incorporate experience sampling). Indeed, interventions might profitably target (i) perceived sleep quality, (ii) sleep onset, and / or (iii) emotion regulation as a route to reducing negative affect and, thus, paranoid thinking.
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Choi JY. Posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation between childhood trauma and two different types of psychosis-like experience. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2017; 72:404-410. [PMID: 28917190 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/19/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the roles of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and dissociation in the relationship between childhood trauma and two different types of psychosis-like experience, including persecutory ideation and aberrant experience, in non-psychotic psychiatric patients. From August 2015 to August 2016, among psychiatric out patients seeking treatment at the Department of Psychiatry at a major teaching medical hospital in Seoul, Korea, 169 patients who had never been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, including schizophrenia spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, and/or depressive disorder with psychotic features, completed the Korean Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Korean version of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the modified Korean version of the Peritraumatic Dissociation Experiences Questionnaire, and the Korean Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). The RC 6 (Ideas of Persecution) and RC 8 (Aberrant Experiences) of the restructured scales of the MMPI-2 were used as a measure of persecutory ideation and aberrant experience. Structural equation modeling analyses confirmed a partial mediation model in which PTS symptoms partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and persecutory ideation, and dissociation partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and aberrant experience. This implies that there are distinct mechanisms depending on the type of psychosis-like experience in relation to childhood trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Young Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University, 1342, Dongilro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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20
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Abstract
Many individuals in the general population experience psychotic-like experiences in the absence of a psychotic disorder. The degree of psychological distress associated with these experiences is a key predictor of clinical outcomes. One factor that may influence the degree of distress from psychotic-like experiences is emotion regulation. Although it has been demonstrated that emotion regulation deficits are present in psychotic disorders, the association between emotion regulation and subclinical psychotic-like experiences is not well understood. Here, we examined the associations between frequency of and distress from psychotic-like experiences and several key components of emotion regulation: difficulties with emotion regulation; emotion regulation self-efficacy; and emotion regulation strategy use. Difficulties with emotion regulation and maladaptive patterns of emotion regulation strategy use were associated with the frequency of both positive and negative psychotic-like experiences. In addition, results suggest that habitual acceptance use and reappraisal self-efficacy may serve as protective factors against the distress associated with psychotic-like experiences.
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21
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Grezellschak S, Jansen A, Westermann S. Emotion regulation in patients with psychosis: A link between insomnia and paranoid ideation? J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2017; 56:27-32. [PMID: 27527490 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Revised: 07/31/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Grezellschak
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany.
| | - Andreas Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Core-Unit Brainimaging, Phillips-University Marburg, Germany.
| | - Stefan Westermann
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Switzerland.
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Lamster F, Nittel C, Rief W, Mehl S, Lincoln T. The impact of loneliness on paranoia: An experimental approach. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2017; 54:51-57. [PMID: 27362838 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Revised: 06/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Loneliness is a common problem in patients with schizophrenia, and may be particularly linked with persecutory ideation. Nevertheless, its role as a potential risk factor in the formation and maintenance of persecutory delusions is largely unexplored. METHODS Loneliness was experimentally manipulated using a false-feedback paradigm in a non-clinical sample (n = 60). Change in state paranoia was compared between the induction of increased loneliness, the induction of reduced loneliness and a control condition. Distinct associations between pre-post scores of loneliness and state paranoia were examined at three (medium/high/low) levels of proneness to psychosis across the experimental conditions. RESULTS Reduction of loneliness was associated with a significant reduction of present paranoid beliefs, while induction of loneliness lead to more pronounced paranoia on trend significance level. Moreover, proneness to psychosis significantly moderated the impact of loneliness on paranoia. Persons with a pronounced level of proneness to psychosis showed a stronger reduction of paranoid beliefs as a consequence of a decrease in loneliness, than less prone individuals. LIMITATIONS A limitation is the small size of our sample, which may have limited the power to detect significant within-group changes in state paranoia in the high-loneliness condition and changes in loneliness in the low-loneliness condition. CONCLUSIONS The findings support the feasibility of the experimental design to manipulate loneliness and suggest that loneliness could be a cause of paranoia. However, the findings need to be confirmed in high risk samples to draw conclusions about the role of loneliness in the genesis of clinically relevant levels of paranoia and derive implications for cognitive behaviour therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Lamster
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, 35032 Marburg, Germany.
| | - Clara Nittel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Philipps-University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmannstr. 8, 35037 Marburg, Germany
| | - Winfried Rief
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Stephanie Mehl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Philipps-University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmannstr. 8, 35037 Marburg, Germany; Department of Social Work and Health, Frankfurt University of Applied Science, Nibelungenplatz 1, 60143 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Tania Lincoln
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology, University Hamburg, von-Melle-Park 5, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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Osborne TL, Michonski J, Sayrs J, Welch SS, Anderson LK. Factor Structure of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) in Adult Outpatients Receiving Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10862-017-9586-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Emotional earthquakes in the landscape of psychosis: an interpretative phenomenology. COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPIST 2016. [DOI: 10.1017/s1754470x16000167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
AbstractTraditionally studies have neglected emotion in psychosis, possibly as a consequence of psychiatry's emphasis on psychotic symptoms rather than individuals’ lived experience of emotions before, during and after psychotic episodes. This study sought to investigate how individuals experienced their emotions and delusions in the context of psychosis. A qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) research methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposively sampled group of eight participants recruited from a local Early Intervention in Psychosis service. Four themes were generated by the analysis. The first highlighted emotional experiences prior to the onset of psychosis: ‘struggling with life distress’. The second highlighted the intense emotional experience within psychotic experiences: ‘transformed world and intense emotion’. The third theme highlighted self-critical tendencies in the post-onset phase of psychosis: ‘blame and guilt after the breakdown’. The final theme highlighted a mixture of emotions in the post-onset phase: ‘confusion, despair and hope’. There were many clinical implications highlighted in the study including the value of normalizing participants’ emotional experiences in order to promote engagement in services and of assessing for self-criticism, despair and hope following the psychotic experience, alongside therapeutically addressing the varying levels of emotional experiences before, during and after a psychotic breakdown.
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25
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Dysfunctional coping with stress in psychosis. An investigation with the Maladaptive and Adaptive Coping Styles (MAX) questionnaire. Schizophr Res 2016; 175:129-135. [PMID: 27210727 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2016.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Revised: 04/07/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Psychotic episodes have long been conceptualized as inevitable incidents triggered by endogenous biological impairments. It is now well-accepted that the ability of an individual to deal with social and environmental challenges plays an important role in regard to whether or not a vulnerability to psychosis translates into symptoms. For the present study, we examined symptomatic correlates of dysfunctional coping in psychosis and aimed to elucidate a profile of coping strategies that distinguishes patients with schizophrenia from those with depression. METHOD The newly devised Maladaptive and Adaptive Coping Styles Scale (MAX) was administered to 75 individuals with psychosis, 100 individuals with depression and 1100 nonclinical controls. RESULTS Schizophrenia patients showed compromised coping abilities relative to nonclinical controls, particularly a lack of engaging in adaptive coping. Depression was more closely tied to dysfunctional coping than were positive symptoms as indicated by group comparisons and correlational analyses. Correlations between positive symptoms, particularly paranoid symptoms, and avoidance and suppression remained significant when depression was controlled for. CONCLUSIONS Although maladaptive and adaptive coping are unlikely to represent proximal mechanisms for the pathogenesis of positive symptoms, fostering coping skills may reduce positive symptoms via the improvement of depressive symptoms, which are increasingly regarded as risk factors for core psychotic symptoms. Furthermore, the reduction of avoidance and suppression may directly improve positive symptoms.
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26
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Persecutory delusions: a cognitive perspective on understanding and treatment. Lancet Psychiatry 2016; 3:685-92. [PMID: 27371990 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(16)00066-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Revised: 01/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A spectrum of severity of paranoia (unfounded thoughts that others are deliberately intending to cause harm) exists within the general population. This is unsurprising: deciding whether to trust or mistrust is a vital aspect of human cognition, but accurate judgment of others' intentions is challenging. The severest form of paranoia is persecutory delusions, when the ideas are held with strong conviction. This paper presents a distillation of a cognitive approach that is being translated into treatment for this major psychiatric problem. Persecutory delusions are viewed as threat beliefs, developed in the context of genetic and environmental risk, and maintained by several psychological processes including excessive worry, low self-confidence, intolerance of anxious affect and other internal anomalous experiences, reasoning biases, and the use of safety-seeking strategies. The clinical implication is that safety has to be relearned, by entering feared situations after reduction of the influence of the maintenance factors. An exciting area of development will be a clinical intervention science of how best to enhance learning of safety to counteract paranoia.
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Clamor A, Schlier B, Köther U, Hartmann MM, Moritz S, Lincoln TM. Bridging psychophysiological and phenomenological characteristics of psychosis--Preliminary evidence for the relevance of emotion regulation. Schizophr Res 2015; 169:346-350. [PMID: 26530627 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2015.10.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Revised: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In psychosis, the alleged increased subjective stress-sensitivity is reflected in abnormal physiological arousal such as higher heart rate, elevated skin conductance levels, decreased vagal activity, and unusual cortisol levels. Despite ongoing research, possible mechanisms that explain the interplay between the phenomenological (i.e., subjective stress and symptoms) and psychophysiological processes are not thoroughly understood. Building on the model of neurovisceral integration by Thayer and Lane (2000) that focuses on regulative mechanisms, we postulate that emotion regulation will be associated with vagal activity, and with both subjective and physiological stress. In the present analysis, we used data from a baseline relaxation period including a 5-minute assessment of heart rate variability (HRV), salivary cortisol, and momentary subjective stress ratings from a sample of 19 participants with psychosis (mean age=40.9, SD=11.1; 36.8% female). Emotion regulation modification skills were assessed for specific emotions (i.e., stress and arousal, anxiety, anger, sadness, shame) if these were present during the previous week. Vagal HRV was significantly and moderately associated with emotion regulation. Both stress parameters (i.e., cortisol, subjective stress) were significantly associated with emotion regulation, but not with HRV. We provide preliminary support for the notion that emotion regulatory processes represent a crucial link between phenomenological and psychophysiological phenomena in psychosis. A potential model that ascribes emotion regulation a central role in the restoration of homeostasis is discussed. Future studies are needed to verify its generalizability and predictive value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Clamor
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Björn Schlier
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulf Köther
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
| | - Maike M Hartmann
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Hamburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Moritz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
| | - Tania M Lincoln
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Hamburg, Germany
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Westermann S, Cavelti M, Heibach E, Caspar F. Motive-oriented therapeutic relationship building for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1294. [PMID: 26388804 PMCID: PMC4557062 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Treatment options for patients with schizophrenia demand further improvement. One way to achieve this improvement is the translation of findings from basic research into new specific interventions. Beyond that, addressing the therapy relationship has the potential to enhance both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. This paper introduces motive-oriented therapeutic relationship (MOTR) building for schizophrenia. MOTR enables therapists to proactively adapt to their patient’s needs and to prevent problematic behaviors. For example, a patient might consider medication as helpful in principle, but the rejection of medication might be one of his few remaining means for his acceptable motive to stay autonomous despite hospitalization. A therapist who is motive-oriented proactively offers many degrees of freedom to this patient in order to satisfy his need for autonomy and to weaken the motivational basis for not taking medication. MOTR makes use of findings from basic and psychotherapy research and is generic in this respect, but at the same time guides therapeutic action precisely and flexibly in a patient oriented way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Westermann
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern , Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marialuisa Cavelti
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , Bern, Switzerland
| | - Eva Heibach
- Private Psychotherapeutic Practice Heibach , Lastrup, Germany
| | - Franz Caspar
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern , Bern, Switzerland
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Lincoln TM, Hartmann M, Köther U, Moritz S. Dealing with feeling: Specific emotion regulation skills predict responses to stress in psychosis. Psychiatry Res 2015; 228:216-22. [PMID: 26001960 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2014] [Revised: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 04/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Elevated negative affect is an established link between minor stressors and psychotic symptoms. Less clear is why people with psychosis fail to regulate distressing emotions effectively. This study tests whether subjective, psychophysiological and symptomatic responses to stress can be predicted by specific emotion regulation (ER) difficulties. Participants with psychotic disorders (n=35) and healthy controls (n=28) were assessed for ER-skills at baseline. They were then exposed to a noise versus no stressor on different days, during which self-reported stress responses, state paranoia and skin conductance levels (SCL) were assessed. Participants with psychosis showed a stronger increase in self-reported stress and SCL in response to the stressor than healthy controls. Stronger increases in self-reported stress were predicted by a reduced ability to be aware of and tolerate distressing emotions, whereas increases in SCL were predicted by a reduced ability to be aware of, tolerate, accept and modify them. Although paranoid symptoms were not significantly affected by the stressors, individual variation in paranoid responses was also predicted by a reduced ability to be aware of and tolerate emotions. Differences in stress responses in the samples were no longer significant after controlling for ER skills. Thus, interventions that improve ER-skills could reduce stress-sensitivity in psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania M Lincoln
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Maike Hartmann
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulf Köther
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Moritz
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hamburg, Germany
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Freeman D, Garety P. Advances in understanding and treating persecutory delusions: a review. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2014; 49:1179-89. [PMID: 25005465 PMCID: PMC4108844 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-014-0928-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 228] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Persecutory delusions are a central psychotic experience, at the severe end of a paranoia spectrum in the general population. The aim of the review is to provide an introduction to the understanding of persecutory delusions, highlight key putative causal factors that have the potential to be translated into efficacious treatment, and indicate future research directions. METHODS A narrative literature review was undertaken to highlight the main recent areas of empirical study concerning non-clinical and clinical paranoia. RESULTS Six main proximal causal factors are identified: a worry thinking style, negative beliefs about the self, interpersonal sensitivity, sleep disturbance, anomalous internal experience, and reasoning biases. Each has plausible mechanistic links to the occurrence of paranoia. These causal factors may be influenced by a number of social circumstances, including adverse events, illicit drug use, and urban environments. CONCLUSIONS There have been numerous replicated empirical findings leading to a significant advance in the understanding of persecutory delusions, now beginning to be translated into cognitive treatments. The first trials specifically focussed on patients who have persecutory delusions in the context of psychotic diagnoses are occurring. Initial evidence of efficacy is very promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Freeman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK,
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Patrick RE, Rastogi A, Christensen BK. Effortful versus automatic emotional processing in schizophrenia: Insights from a face-vignette task. Cogn Emot 2014; 29:767-83. [DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2014.935297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Sumich A, Castro A, Kumari V. N100 and N200, but not P300, amplitudes predict paranoia/suspiciousness in the general population. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Westermann S, Rief W, Lincoln TM. Emotion regulation in delusion-proneness: deficits in cognitive reappraisal, but not in expressive suppression. Psychol Psychother 2014; 87:1-14. [PMID: 24497395 DOI: 10.1111/papt.12000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2012] [Revised: 08/20/2012] [Accepted: 09/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Although anxiety plays a key role in delusions, its downregulation using specific emotion regulation (ER) strategies has not been investigated. Reappraisal has been shown to be one of the most effective strategies for healthy individuals. However, individuals with delusions might have difficulties in successfully applying reappraisal. This study therefore tests the effectiveness of reappraisal compared to expressive suppression in individuals with varying levels of delusion-proneness. DESIGN An experimental design with the independent variables ER strategy (within subject) and delusion-proneness (between subject; quasi-experimental) was used. The dependent variables were subjective ER success and physiological arousal, as well as state delusional ideation. METHODS Eighty-six healthy participants with different levels of delusion-proneness were instructed to respond to anxiety-inducing stimuli by either using reappraisal or expressive suppression. RESULTS Overall, reappraisal was more effective than expressive suppression in regulating anxiety. However, delusion-prone individuals were less successful in applying reappraisal (interaction effect: F(2,158) = 3.70, p = .027). In addition, lower success in reappraising threat was accompanied by higher state delusional ideation (r = -0.20, p = .013). CONCLUSIONS Delusion-proneness is accompanied by difficulties in reappraising threat that might contribute to the formation and maintenance of clinically relevant delusions. Preliminary implications for the improvement of cognitive behaviour therapy for delusions are discussed.
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Marwaha S, Broome MR, Bebbington PE, Kuipers E, Freeman D. Mood instability and psychosis: analyses of British national survey data. Schizophr Bull 2014; 40:269-77. [PMID: 24162517 PMCID: PMC3932088 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbt149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We used British national survey data to test specific hypotheses that mood instability (1) is associated with psychosis and individual psychotic phenomena, (2) predicts the later emergence of auditory hallucinations and paranoid ideation, and (3) mediates the link between child sexual abuse and psychosis. METHODS We analyzed data from the 2000 and 2007 UK national surveys of psychiatric morbidity (N = 8580 and 7403, respectively). The 2000 survey included an 18-month follow-up of a subsample (N = 2406). Mood instability was assessed from the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II (SCID-II) questionnaire. Our dependent variables comprised auditory hallucinations, paranoid ideation, the presence of psychosis overall, and a 15-item paranoia scale. RESULTS Mood instability was strongly associated in cross-sectional analyses with psychosis (2000: OR: 7.5; 95% CI: I 4.1-13.8; 2007: OR: 21.4; CI: 9.7-41.2), paranoid ideation (2000: OR: 4.7; CI: 4.1-5.4; 2007: OR: 5.7; CI: 4.9-6.7), auditory hallucinations (2000: OR: 3.4; CI: 2.6-4.4; 2007: OR 3.5; CI: 2.7-4.7), and paranoia total score (2000: Coefficient: 3.6; CI: 3.3-3.9), remaining so after adjustment for current mood state. Baseline mood instability significantly predicted 18-month inceptions of paranoid ideation (OR: 2.3; CI: 1.6-3.3) and of auditory hallucinations (OR: 2.6; CI: 1.5-4.4). Finally, it mediated a third of the total association of child sexual abuse with psychosis and persecutory ideation and a quarter of that with auditory hallucinations. CONCLUSIONS Mood instability is a prominent feature of psychotic experience and may have a role in its genesis. Targeting mood instability could lead to innovative treatments for psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Marwaha
- *To whom correspondence should be addressed; Mental Health Sciences Unit, University College London, 67-73 Riding House St. London W1W 7EJ, UK; tel: +44-20-7679-9465, fax: +44-20-7679-9426, e-mail:
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Kesting ML, Lincoln TM. The relevance of self-esteem and self-schemas to persecutory delusions: a systematic review. Compr Psychiatry 2013; 54:766-89. [PMID: 23684547 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2012] [Revised: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Self-esteem is frequently targeted in psychological approaches to persecutory delusions (PD). However, its precise role in the formation and maintenance of PD is unclear and has been subject to a number of theories: It has been hypothesized that PD function to enhance self-esteem, that they directly reflect negative conceptualizations of the self, that self-esteem follows from the perceived deservedness of the persecution (poor-me versus bad-me-paranoia) and that the temporal instability of self-esteem is relevant to PD. In order to increase our understanding of the relevance of self-esteem to PD, this article systematically reviews the existing research on self-esteem in PD in the light of the existing theories. METHODS We performed a literature search on studies that investigated self-esteem in PD. We included studies that either investigated self-esteem a) within patients with PD or compared to controls or b) along the continuum of subclinical paranoia in the general population. We used a broad concept of self-esteem and included paradigms that assessed implicit self-esteem, specific self-schemas and dynamic aspects of self-esteem. RESULTS The literature search identified 317 studies of which 52 met the inclusion criteria. The reviewed studies consistently found low global explicit self-esteem and negative self-schemas in persons with PD. The studies therefore do not support the theory that PD serve to enhance self-esteem but underline the theory that they directly reflect specific negative self-schemas. There is evidence that low self-esteem is associated with higher perceived deservedness of the persecution and that PD are associated with instable self-esteem. Only few studies investigated implicit self-esteem and the results of these studies were inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS We conclude by proposing an explanatory model of how self-esteem and PD interact from which we derive clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Luise Kesting
- Section for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, Philipps Universität Marburg, Gutenbergstraße 18, 35032 Marburg, Germany.
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Westermann S, Boden MT, Gross JJ, Lincoln TM. Maladaptive Cognitive Emotion Regulation Prospectively Predicts Subclinical Paranoia. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10608-013-9523-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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