ABSTRACT
Abnormal experiences of time (ATEs) are an established object of research in phenomenological psychopathology. Objective: The purpose of this study was the first validation of the Transdiagnostic Assessment of Temporal Experience (TATE), a structured phenomenological interview concerning ATEs in individuals with diverse mental health conditions, and its adaptation for the Polish language. Methods: The research employed a mixed-method approach and consisted of several phases including (1) consensual translation; (2) construct and content validation by an expert panel; (3) direct feedback from patients with lived experiences of alcohol addiction, borderline personality, autism, and clinical depression; (4) an auditorium questionnaire with 98 respondents without mental health issues, who were both interviewed and gave qualitative feedback; and (5) a final expert panel and approval. Results: Following multiple stages of modification, the final TATE demonstrates strong internal consistency and validity (Cronbach's α = 0.9), with strong correlations between the frequency, intensity, and impairment of various forms of ATEs as well as their rare occurrence among healthy participants. Conclusions: TATE represents a multidimensional and structured quantitative phenomenological approach to temporal experience for psychiatry and clinical psychology. This article presents the validated version of TATE for Polish alongside updated administration guidelines. It is now the state-of-the-art TATE that may be further adapted to other languages, including English.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The study aims to identify the sources and components of the so-called praecox feeling (PF) from the perspective of Polish psychiatrists who experience it and can verbalize it. METHODS: Qualitative analysis based on the grounded theory method, conducted on a set of open-ended statements provided by psychiatrists (N = 103) who described their feelings strongly suggestive of a diagnosis of schizophrenia in a nationwide survey. RESULTS: For most respondents (80.58%) PF stems from patients' behaviors and states but none of the identified PF components dominate clearly over others. Physicians referred most often (44.66%) to the patients' affect and emotional states, particularly shallowness and emotional coldness (22.33%). One in four (25.24%) referred to the patients' utterances, including incoherence and detachment of content from reality (14.56%), and indicated formal disorders of mental processes (22.33%). A post-hoc analysis showed that the main cross-sectional topic of the PF was the feeling of patients' separation from the surrounding reality and other persons (raised by 52.42% of respondents). The level of psychiatric expertise does not affect PF's contents. Physicians who can verbalize it consider it reliable for diagnosing schizophrenia more often than those who use PF in their practice but cannot verbalize it (82.52% vs. 67.62%, chi2 p = 0.007, φc = 0.186). CONCLUSIONS: PF is a complex and ambiguous phenomenon experienced by residents and specialists alike. It has mostly to do with affectivity and perceived detachment from reality. Further analysis may positively influence the ability of psychiatrists to articulate and apply PF in the diagnosis of schizophrenia.