Self-disturbances, cognitive biases and insecure attachment as mechanisms of the relationship between traumatic life events and psychotic-like experiences in non-clinical adults – A path analysis

Aim: Skin-picking (excoriation) disorder is considered as a form of maladaptive coping methods used by individuals who have difficulties in applying more adaptive strategies. Skin-picking development has been suggested to be preceded by traumatic life events. Dissociative symptoms have been reported as experienced by skin-picking sufferers during picking episodes. The purpose of the study was to examine whether the link between trauma and automatic type of skin-picking is mediated by the frequency of dissociative experiences, and whether the COVID-19 pandemic conditions have changed this relationship in any way.Methods: The study sample consisted of 594 adults (76% women) aged from 18 to 60. Traumatic life events, dissociative experiences, and types of skin-picking (focused vs. automatic) were assessed with self-report questionnaires. Mediation analyses and multigroup path analyses were carried out.Results: Dissociative experiences partially mediated the link between traumatic events and both types of skin-picking. The model was robust considering the conditions in which survey was filled out (pre-pandemic vs. pandemic).Conclusions: Traumatic life events and dissociative experiences are associated with both automatic and focused skin-picking regardless of pandemic conditions. Further studies are needed to understand mechanisms underlying the relationship between dissociation and skin-picking styles.

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Effects of traumatic life events, cognitive biases and variation in dopaminergic genes on psychosis proneness

Early Intervention in Psychiatry ◽

10.1111/eip.12925 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kamila Kotowicz ◽

Dorota Frydecka ◽

Łukasz Gawęda ◽

Katarzyna Prochwicz ◽

Joanna Kłosowska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Events ◽

Cognitive Biases ◽

Psychosis Proneness ◽

Traumatic Life Events ◽

Dopaminergic Genes

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Toward a Complex Network of Risks for Psychosis: Combining Trauma, Cognitive Biases, Depression, and Psychotic-like Experiences on a Large Sample of Young Adults

Schizophrenia Bulletin ◽

10.1093/schbul/sbaa125 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Łukasz Gawęda ◽

Renata Pionke ◽

Jessica Hartmann ◽

Barnaby Nelson ◽

Andrzej Cechnicki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Life Events ◽

Cognitive Biases ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Epidemiologic Studies ◽

Traumatic Experience ◽

Experience Of Care ◽

Traumatic Life Events

Abstract Although the linkage between traumatic life events and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) is well established, the knowledge of potential mechanisms of this relationship is scarce. The aim of the present study was to better understand the structure of connections between traumatic life events and PLEs by considering at the same time the role of cognitive biases and depressive symptoms in the population of young adults (18–35 years of age, M = 26.52, SD = 4.74, n = 6772). Our study was conducted within a framework of network analysis. PLEs were measured with the Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16), cognitive biases were measured with nine items from the Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale-18 (DACOBS-18), depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression Scale (CESD-R) and exposure to traumatic life events was measured with a combination of Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA.Q) and Traumatic Experience Checklist (TEC). The results present a network of all nodes being interconnected within and between domains, with no isolated factors. Exposures to sexual trauma were the most central node in the network. Pathways were identified from trauma to PLEs via cognitive biases and depressive symptoms. However, the shortest pathway between the most central traumatic life event and PLEs was through other traumatic life events, without cognitive biases or depressive symptoms along the way. Our findings suggest the importance of environmental adversities as well as dysfunctional information processing and depression in the network of psychosis risks.

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The relationship between traumatic life events and posttraumatic stress disorder in substance abusing women with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia Research ◽

10.1016/s0920-9964(03)80066-x ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 22-23

Author(s):

P.S. Meyer ◽

J.S. Gearon ◽

A.S. Bellack ◽

C.H. Brown

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Life Events ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Substance Abusing ◽

Traumatic Life Events ◽

The Relationship

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The Indirect Effect of Trauma via Cognitive Biases and Self-Disturbances on Psychotic-Like Experiences

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.611069 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Renata Pionke-Ubych ◽

Dorota Frydecka ◽

Andrzej Cechnicki ◽

Barnaby Nelson ◽

Łukasz Gawęda

Keyword(s):

Life Events ◽

Indirect Effect ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Cognitive Biases ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Substantial Part ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽

Traumatic Life Events ◽

Behavioral Tasks

Although self-disturbances (SD) are considered to be a core psychopathological feature of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, there is still insufficient empirical data on the mechanisms underlying these anomalous self-experiences. The aim of the present study was to test a hypothesized model in which cognitive biases and exposure to traumatic life events are related to the frequency of SD which, in turn, contribute to the frequency of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). Our sample consisted of 193 Polish young adults from the general population (111 females; 18–35 years of age, M = 25.36, SD = 4.69) who experience frequent PLEs. Participants were interviewed for PLEs, SD and social functioning as well as completed self-reported questionnaires and behavioral tasks that measure cognitive biases (e.g., safety behaviors, attention to threat, external attribution, jumping to conclusion, source monitoring, overperceptualization). The model was tested using path analysis with structural equation modeling. All of the hypothesized relationships were statistically significant and our model fit the data well [χ2(23) = 31.201; p = 0.118; RMSEA = 0.043 (90% CI = 0.00–0.078), CFI = 0.985, SRMR = 0.041, TLI = 0.976]. The results revealed a significant indirect effect of traumatic life events on PLEs through SD and self-reported cognitive biases. However, performance-based cognitive biases measured with three behavioral tasks were unrelated to SD and PLEs. The frequency of SD explained a substantial part (43.1%) of the variance in PLEs. Further studies with longitudinal designs and clinical samples are required to verify the predictive value of the model.

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