Volume I: Systematic Literature Review and Empirical Research Project
: Systematic Literature Review -The assessment of paranoia in adolescents: a systematic review; Empirical Research Project - The relationship between bullying victimization, interpersonal sensitivity and paranoid ideation in adolescence: a virtual reality study

Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisDoctor of Philosophy

Abstract

Background: Reliable assessment of paranoia is vital to ensure accurate identification of young people at risk and to design targeted intervention to prevent the emergence of psychosis and other mental health disorders. However, little is known about what is the best way of assessing paranoia in adolescence. 
Aim: To systematically review the empirical literature to determine what measures are currently used to assess paranoia in young people aged 11-19 years old, both in research and clinical settings. 
Methods:  Searches were conducted using the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Embase. The reference lists of papers collected were examined in order to identify any further relevant articles cited in peer-reviewed journals. A total of 6512 papers were eligible for inclusion; of these 15 were included in this review. 
Results: All assessment tools of paranoia identified were self-report questionnaires. Only two of them (i.e. The Bird Checklist of Adolescent Paranoia and the paranoia subscale of the Specific Psychotic Experiences Questionnaire) were specifically devised and validated for use with adolescents and are therefore recommended. 
Conclusions: The use of assessment measures designed and validated for adults to assess paranoia in young people is common practice, in both clinical and research settings. This might lead to inaccurate estimates of paranoia amongst adolescents. Moreover, conventional self-report questionnaires may often fail to differentiate between paranoia and rational concerns about safety or increased social worries typical of adolescence. Further research using new technologies (e.g. age-appropriate virtual reality paradigms) might potentially overcome some of these limitations.   
Date of Award1 Aug 2021
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • King's College London
SupervisorLucia Valmaggia (Supervisor) & Charlotte Gayer-Anderson (Supervisor)

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