scholarly journals The interplay between childhood trauma, cognitive biases, and cannabis use on the risk of psychosis in nonclinical young adults in Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Frydecka ◽  
Błażej Misiak ◽  
Kamila Kotowicz ◽  
Renata Pionke ◽  
Martyna Krężołek ◽  
...  

Abstract Background. Childhood traumatic events are risk factors for psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). However, the mechanisms explaining how trauma may contribute to the development of PLEs are not fully understood. In our study, we investigated whether cannabis use and cognitive biases mediate the relationship between early trauma and PLEs. Methods. A total sample of 6,772 young adults (age 26.6 ± 4.7, 2,181 male and 3,433 female) was recruited from the general population to participate in an online survey. We excluded 1,158 individuals due to a self-reported lifetime diagnosis of any mental disorder. The online survey included selected items from the following questionnaires: Traumatic Experience Checklist (TEC, 3 items), Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA.Q, 3 items), Cannabis Problems Questionnaire (CPQ, 10 items), Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale (DACOBS-18, 9 items), and Prodromal Questionnaire-16 (PQ-16). Mediation analyses were performed with respect to different categories of traumatic experiences (emotional, physical and sexual abuse as well as emotional neglect). Results. Our results showed significant associations of any time of childhood trauma with higher scores of cannabis use (CPQ), cognitive biases (DACOBS), and PLEs (PQ-16) (p < 0.001). We found a direct effect of childhood trauma on PLEs as well as significant indirect effect mediated through cannabis use and cognitive biases. All models tested for the effects of specific childhood adversities revealed similar results. The percentage of variance in PQ-16 scores explained by serial mediation models varied between 32.8 and 34.2% depending on childhood trauma category. Conclusion. Cannabis use and cognitive biases play an important mediating role in the relationship between childhood traumatic events and the development of PLEs in a nonclinical young adult population.

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukasz Gawęda ◽  
Renata Pionke ◽  
Martyna Krężołek ◽  
Dorota Frydecka ◽  
Barnaby Nelson ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundChildhood trauma, psychosis risk, cognition, and depression have been identified as important risk markers for suicidal behaviors. However, little is known about the interplay between these distal and proximal markers in influencing the risk of suicide. We aim to investigate the interplay between childhood trauma, cognitive biases, psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and depression in predicting suicidal behaviors in a non-clinical sample of young adults.MethodsIn total, 3495 young adults were recruited to an online computer-assisted web interview. We used the Prodromal Questionnaire to assess PLEs. Childhood trauma was assessed with the Traumatic Experience Checklist (three items) and Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA.Q, three items). Cognitive biases were assessed with a short version of the Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale. Suicidality, psychiatric diagnoses, and substance use were screened with a self-report questionnaire.ResultsChildhood trauma, as well as PLEs, was associated with an approximately five-fold increased risk of suicidal thoughts and plans as well as suicide attempts. Participants with depression were six times more likely to endorse suicidal behaviors. Path analysis revealed that PLEs, depression and cognitive biases are significant mediators of the relationship between trauma and suicidal behaviors. The model explained 44.6% of the variance in lifetime suicidality.ConclusionsCognitive biases, PLEs, and depression partially mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and suicidal behaviors. The interplay between distal and proximal markers should be recognized and become part of clinical screening and therapeutic strategies for preventing risk of suicidality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmara Mętel ◽  
Aleksandra Arciszewska ◽  
Artur Daren ◽  
Renata Pionke ◽  
Andrzej Cechnicki ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Adrianos Golemis ◽  
Panteleimon Voitsidis ◽  
Eleni Parlapani ◽  
Vasiliki A Nikopoulou ◽  
Virginia Tsipropoulou ◽  
...  

Summary COVID-19 and the related quarantine disrupted young adults’ academic and professional life, daily routine and socio-emotional well-being. This cross-sectional study focused on the emotional and behavioural responses of a young adult population during the COVID-19-related quarantine in April 2020, in Greece. The study was conducted through an online survey. A total of 1559 young adults, aged 18−30 years, completed Steele’s Social Responsibility Motivation Scale and the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, and answered questions about compliance with instructions, quarantine-related behaviours and coping strategies. According to the results, participants displayed a relatively high sense of social responsibility (M = 16.09, SD = 2.13) and a trend towards moderate feeling of loneliness (M = 2.65, SD = 1.62); young women reported significantly higher levels of loneliness than men. The majority complied with instructions often (46.4%) or always (44.8%). Significantly more women created a new social media account and used the social media longer than 5 h/day, compared with men. Resorting to religion, practicing sports and sharing thoughts and feelings about COVID-19 with others predicted higher levels of social responsibility; humour, practicing sports and sharing thoughts and feelings about COVID-19 with others predicted lower levels of loneliness. Conclusively, COVID-19 is expected to have a significant psychological impact on young adults. Currently, Greece is going through the second quarantine period. This study raises awareness about loneliness in young adults during the COVID-19-related quarantine and highlights the importance of developing online programmes, attractive to younger people, to nurture adaptive coping strategies against loneliness.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hollis C. Karoly ◽  
Raeghan L. Mueller ◽  
Chrysta C. Andrade ◽  
Kent E. Hutchison

Cannabis is commonly used among people who drink alcohol, but findings are mixed regarding the direction of this relationship. The type of cannabis used [high-cannabidiol (CBD) vs. high-delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)] and motives for use (i.e., whether cannabis is used to treat a medical condition) may influence the relationship between cannabis and drinking. Specifically, CBD has shown preclinical promise in reducing alcohol consumption, and medical cannabis users report using cannabis to reduce drinking. This study leverages survey data from cannabis users who drink alcohol (N = 533). Respondents were categorized as using cannabis to treat (CTT) a medical condition or as individuals whose cannabis use is not intended to treat (NCTT) a medical condition and grouped based on the THC/CBD ratio of the flower or edible cannabis they typically use (e.g., “High-THC/CBD,” “Medium-THC/CBD” and “Low-THC/CBD”). The CTT group (n = 412) reported drinking significantly less frequently than the NCTT group (n = 121). Cannabinoid content of flower cannabis was associated with alcohol consumed on cannabis-use days, such that individuals in the High-THC/CBD group drink more on cannabis-use days compared to the Medium-THC/CBD group. Cannabinoid content of edible cannabis was associated with drinks per drinking occasion, such that the High-THC/CBD group consumed the most drinks and the Low-THC/CBD group consumed the fewest. For both edible and flower groupings, higher-THC/CBD cannabis was associated with more frequent co-use than lower-THC/CBD cannabis. Results suggest that whether someone uses cannabis to treat a medical condition may impact their drinking frequency, and the cannabinoid content in flower and edible cannabis impacts alcohol consumption.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (22) ◽  

Breast cancer is a traumatic experience. Those diagnosed with breast cancer often experience psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and stress. However, traumatic experiences do not only cause psychological symptoms, but also can lead to positive changes named as posttraumatic growth (PTG). In the present study, it was aimed to examine both the psychological symptom (depression, anxiety, stress) and PTG levels of women with breast cancer and the relationship of these variables with core beliefs challenge and rumination types. Sociodemographic and Cancer-Related Information Form, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Core Beliefs Inventory, and Event-Related Rumination Inventory were applied to 201 women with breast cancer diagnosis (Mage = 47.81, SD = 8.58), mediation relations of variables were examined with Process Macro. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the psychological symptom levels of the majority of the participants were low and their PTG levels were above medium. It was determined that core beliefs challenge positively predicted depression, anxiety, stress, and PTG. Intrusive rumination mediated the relationship between core beliefs challenge and depression, anxiety and stress; deliberate rumination mediated the relationship between core beliefs challenge and PTG. In other words, as the core belief challenge of the participants increase, both psychological symptom and PTG levels increase. In addition, those who use intrusive rumination experience more psychological symptom, and those who use deliberate rumination experience more PTG. The present study reveals the importance of cognitive processes in understanding the psychological symptoms and PTG in women with breast cancer. Keywords: Breast cancer, psychological symptom, posttraumatic growth, core belief challenge, event-related rumination


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasan Yılmaz ◽  
Coşkun Arslan ◽  
Emel Arslan

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of mothers’ and teachers’ testimonies that conflict with scientific facts and scientific explanations on kindergartners’ judgments. The participants consisted of 104 young children in Şanlıurfa province in Turkey. Their ages ranged from 48 to 79 months, with a mean age of 61.48 months (SD = 5.58). The participants were randomly assigned to the following four groups: 1) Scientific explanation followed by teacher’s testimony, 2) teacher’s testimony; 3) scientific explanation followed by mother’s testimony, 4) mother’s testimony. The children responded to a question about a scientific fact. After the response, they watched their mothers’ or teachers’ testimonies which contradict the scientific fact. Findings revealed that when a scientific explanation was not provided, the children tended to show deference to their teachers’ and especially mothers’ testimony. A week later, a follow-up measurement revealed that this impact did not last a week.


Psihologija ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svenja Taubner ◽  
Christian Curth

The aim of the study was to examine whether mentalization serves as a protective factor against aggressive behavior in adolescence in the context of early traumatization. We present data from a non-clinical sample of adolescents from Germany (n=97) and calculate a mediation model to test the link between early traumatic experiences and aggressive behavior with mentalizing skills as a mediator. Mentalization was assessed with the Reflective Functioning Scale on the Adult-Attachment-Interview and aggressive behavior was measured with the Reactive-Proactive-Aggression-Questionnaire. Traumatic experience was operationalized as physical and/or sexual abuse as reported in the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire. Results show a complete mediation for Reflective Functioning on the relationship between early abuse and aggressive behavior. Thus, the findings of the study support an understanding of mentalizing as a protective factor for the relationship between early abusive experience and the development of aggressive behavior. Clinical implications are discussed.


1998 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Paris

Objective: To examine the relationship between trauma in childhood and personality disorders in adulthood. Method: A review of the literature was conducted. Results: The reported associations between trauma and personality pathology are illuminated by the following research findings: 1) personality is heritable; 2) only a minority of patients with severe personality disorders report childhood trauma; and 3) children are generally resilient, and traumatic experiences do not consistently lead to psychopathology. Conclusions: The role of trauma in the personality disorders is best understood in the context of gene–environment interactions.


Author(s):  
Łukasz Gawęda ◽  
Renata Pionke ◽  
Jessica Hartmann ◽  
Barnaby Nelson ◽  
Andrzej Cechnicki ◽  
...  

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (9) ◽  
pp. 1570-1577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumaya Mall ◽  
Jonathan M. Platt ◽  
Henk Temmingh ◽  
Eustasius Musenge ◽  
Megan Campbell ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundEvidence from high-income countries suggests that childhood trauma is associated with schizophrenia. Studies of childhood trauma and schizophrenia in low and middle income (LMIC) countries are limited. This study examined the prevalence of childhood traumatic experiences among cases and controls and the relationship between specific and cumulative childhood traumatic experiences and schizophrenia in a sample in South Africa.MethodsData were from the Genomics of Schizophrenia in the South African Xhosa people study. Cases with schizophrenia and matched controls were recruited from provincial hospitals and clinics in the Western and Eastern Cape regions in South Africa. Childhood traumatic experiences were measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Adjusted logistic regression models estimated associations between individual and cumulative childhood traumatic experiences and schizophrenia.ResultsTraumatic experiences were more prevalent among cases than controls. The odds of schizophrenia were 2.44 times higher among those who experienced any trauma than those who reported no traumatic experiences (95% CI 1.77–3.37). The odds of schizophrenia were elevated among those who experienced physical/emotional abuse (OR 1.59, CI 1.28–1.97), neglect (OR 1.39, CI 1.16–1.68), and sexual abuse (OR 1.22, CI 1.03–1.45) compared to those who did not. Cumulative physical/emotional abuse and neglect experiences increased the odds of schizophrenia as a dose–response relationship.ConclusionChildhood trauma is common in this population. Among many other benefits, interventions to prevent childhood trauma may contribute to a decreasing occurrence of schizophrenia.


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