Interpersonal sensitivity in those at clinical high risk for psychosis mediates the association between childhood bullying victimisation and paranoid ideation: A virtual reality study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Interpersonal sensitivity in those at clinical high risk for psychosis mediates the association between childhood bullying victimisation and paranoid ideation: A virtual reality study

AU - McDonnell, Jeffrey

AU - Stahl, D

AU - Day, F

AU - McGuire, P

AU - Valmaggia, L R

N1 - Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PY - 2018/2

Y1 - 2018/2

N2 - BACKGROUND: Experience of bullying victimisation in childhood and heightened interpersonal sensitivity have been independently linked to the clinical high risk for psychosis.AIM: To examine the potential mediating effect of interpersonal sensitivity in explaining the link between childhood bullying victimisation and real-time paranoid ideation in adult participants at clinical high risk for psychosis.METHOD: In a cross-sectional study data were collected for 64 individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis. Measures included history of bullying victimisation, interpersonal sensitivity and state paranoid ideation following exposure to a social virtual reality environment. The virtual reality scenario was a London Underground journey.RESULTS: Path analysis indicated that interpersonal sensitivity fully explained the significant association between severe bullying victimisation in childhood and paranoid ideation in the clinical-high risk group. Based on AIC criteria the best model selected was the full mediation model: severe bullying→interpersonal sensitivity→state paranoid ideation. The results suggest that severity of bullying is more important than frequency of bullying in explaining state paranoid ideation.CONCLUSIONS: The significant role played by interpersonal sensitivity in the association between being bullied in childhood and paranoid ideation in the clinical high risk group suggests that this could become a target for intervention.

AB - BACKGROUND: Experience of bullying victimisation in childhood and heightened interpersonal sensitivity have been independently linked to the clinical high risk for psychosis.AIM: To examine the potential mediating effect of interpersonal sensitivity in explaining the link between childhood bullying victimisation and real-time paranoid ideation in adult participants at clinical high risk for psychosis.METHOD: In a cross-sectional study data were collected for 64 individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis. Measures included history of bullying victimisation, interpersonal sensitivity and state paranoid ideation following exposure to a social virtual reality environment. The virtual reality scenario was a London Underground journey.RESULTS: Path analysis indicated that interpersonal sensitivity fully explained the significant association between severe bullying victimisation in childhood and paranoid ideation in the clinical-high risk group. Based on AIC criteria the best model selected was the full mediation model: severe bullying→interpersonal sensitivity→state paranoid ideation. The results suggest that severity of bullying is more important than frequency of bullying in explaining state paranoid ideation.CONCLUSIONS: The significant role played by interpersonal sensitivity in the association between being bullied in childhood and paranoid ideation in the clinical high risk group suggests that this could become a target for intervention.

KW - bullying victimisation

KW - paranoia

KW - clinical high risk

KW - interpersonal sensitivity

KW - virtual reality

KW - psychosis

U2 - 10.1016/j.schres.2017.04.029

DO - 10.1016/j.schres.2017.04.029

M3 - Article

C2 - 28454921

SN - 0920-9964

VL - 192

SP - 89

EP - 95

JO - Schizophrenia Research

JF - Schizophrenia Research

ER -