Cross-cultural validation of the revised Green et al., paranoid thoughts scale.

BACKGROUND: With efforts increasing worldwide to understand and treat paranoia, there is a pressing need for cross-culturally valid assessments of paranoid beliefs. The recently developed Revised Green et al., Paranoid Thoughts Scale (R-GPTS) constitutes an easy to administer self-report assessment of mild ideas of reference and more severe persecutory thoughts. Moreover, it comes with clinical cut-offs for increased usability in research and clinical practice. With multiple translations of the R-GPTS already available and in use, a formal test of its measurement invariance is now needed. METHODS: Using data from a multinational cross-sectional online survey in the UK, USA, Australia, Germany, and Hong Kong (N = 2510), we performed confirmatory factory analyses on the R-GPTS and tested for measurement invariance across sites. RESULTS: We found sufficient fit for the two-factor structure (ideas of reference, persecutory thoughts) of the R-GPTS across cultures. Measurement invariance was found for the persecutory thoughts subscale, indicating that it does measure the same construct across the tested samples in the same way. For ideas of reference, we found no scalar invariance, which was traced back to (mostly higher) item intercepts in the Hong Kong sample. CONCLUSION: We found sufficient invariance for the persecutory thoughts scale, which is of substantial practical importance, as it is used for the screening of clinical paranoia. A direct comparison of the ideas of reference sum-scores between cultures, however, may lead to an over-estimation of these milder forms of paranoia in some (non-western) cultures.

Differentiating paranoia and conspiracy mentality using a network approach.

Although mostly considered distinct, conspiracy mentality and paranoia share conceptual similarities (e.g., persecutory content, resistance to disconfirming evidence). Using self-report data from a large and multinational online sample (N = 2510; from the UK, the US, Hong Kong, Germany, and Australia), we examined whether paranoia and conspiracy mentality represent distinct latent constructs in exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Utilising network analysis, we then explored common and unique correlates of paranoia and conspiracy mentality while accounting for their shared variance. Across sites, paranoia and conspiracy mentality presented distinct, yet weakly correlated (r = 0.26), constructs. Both were associated with past traumatic experiences, holding negative beliefs about the self and other people, sleep problems, and a tendency to worry. However, paranoia was related to increased negative affect (i.e., anxiety) and decreased social support, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for conspiracy mentality (i.e., decreased anxiety and depression, increased social support). Paranoia and conspiracy mentality are related but not the same constructs. Their similar and distinct correlates point to common and unique risk factors and underlying mechanisms.

The role of general vs pandemic-specific paranoid ideation in the use of recommended health behaviors and vaccine willingness during a worldwide pandemic: An international study in the general public.

BACKGROUND: The public's adherence to recommended COVID-19 preventative behaviors, including vaccinations and social distancing, has been low in certain groups and has contributed to many preventable deaths worldwide. An examination of general and pandemic-specific aspects of nonclinical paranoid ideation may aid in the understanding of the public's response to the pandemic, given that it is a global threat event. METHODS: A representative international sample of general adults (N = 2,510) from five international sites were recruited with stratified quota sampling. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationships among general paranoid ideation, pandemic paranoid ideation (interpersonal mistrust, conspiratorial thinking, and persecutory threat), general distress (depression, anxiety), vaccine willingness, and other preventative behaviors (masking, social distancing, hygiene). RESULTS: Although general distress and paranoid ideation were associated with vaccination willingness and preventative behaviors, their effects were inconsistent or weak. Pandemic paranoid ideation showed robust direct and indirect effects that differentially predicted COVID-19 preventative behaviors, with higher interpersonal mistrust associated with higher adherence to all behaviors, higher conspiratorial thinking related to lower adherence to all behaviors, and higher persecutory threat related to higher vaccine willingness, but lower adherence to other preventative behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Examination of pandemic-specific paranoid ideation leads to more precise prediction of the public's adherence to recommended health behaviors during the COVID-19 outbreak. This information could be used to inform intervention strategies for micro-targeting different subgroups with nonclinical paranoid thinking, as well as for improving responses to future pandemics and vaccination efforts for other common illnesses.

A Child-Parent Dyad Study on Adolescent Paranoia and the Influence of Adverse Life Events, Bullying, Parenting Stress, and Family Support.

BACKGROUND: Paranoid beliefs commonly occur in the general adolescent population. Exposure to adverse life events (ALEs) and/or bullying are important environmental risk factors. The extent to which others, especially parents, are available to help a young person cope with stressful situations may offset this risk. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional adolescent-parent dyad design (n = 142 pairs) was used to test whether an adolescent's perception of being supported by their family, and/or the parent's perception of stress and burden in their parenting role, moderated the association between environmental risk and adolescent paranoid beliefs. STUDY RESULTS: Moderation analysis indicated that ALEs were significantly associated with adolescent paranoid beliefs when parents reported high stress and burden in their parenting role. Conversely, at low and moderate levels of parental stress, ALEs were unrelated to paranoid beliefs. Bullying was strongly associated with paranoia, with no moderation effects. The adolescent's perception of support within their family had no moderating effects. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that the focus of prevention should be shifted beyond just families of adolescents who are experiencing psychosis and/or have high "at-risk" profiles, to families of adolescents exposed to ALEs. Targeted support for parents to help reduce parental stress and burden, and help foster protective family environments even in the face of ALEs, is an important avenue for reducing the risk of paranoid beliefs in adolescents. Further research is required to better understand how to offset the deleterious effect of bullying on paranoid beliefs in adolescents.

Pandemic paranoia in the general population: international prevalence and sociodemographic profile.

BACKGROUND: The term 'pandemic paranoia' has been coined to refer to heightened levels of mistrust and suspicion towards other people specifically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we examine the international prevalence of pandemic paranoia in the general population and its associated sociodemographic profile. METHODS: A representative international sample of general population adults (N = 2510) from five sites (USA N = 535, Germany N = 516, UK N = 512, Australia N = 502 and Hong Kong N = 445) were recruited using stratified quota sampling (for age, sex, educational attainment) and completed the Pandemic Paranoia Scale (PPS). RESULTS: The overall prevalence rate of pandemic paranoia was 19%, and was highest in Australia and lowest in Germany. On the subscales of the PPS, prevalence was 11% for persecutory threat, 29% for paranoid conspiracy and 37% for interpersonal mistrust. Site and general paranoia significantly predicted pandemic paranoia. Sociodemographic variables (lower age, higher population size and income, being male, employed and no migrant status) explained additional variance and significantly improved prediction of pandemic paranoia. CONCLUSIONS: Pandemic paranoia was relatively common in a representative sample of the general population across five international sites. Sociodemographic variables explained a small but significant amount of the variance in pandemic paranoia.

Pandemic paranoia, general paranoia, and their relationships with worry and beliefs about self/others - A multi-site latent class analysis.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in paranoid thinking has been reported internationally. The development of the Pandemic Paranoia Scale (PPS) has provided a reliable assessment of various facets of pandemic paranoia. This study aimed to (i) identify classes of individuals with varying levels of general paranoia and pandemic paranoia, and (ii) examine associations between classification and worry, core beliefs, and pro-health behaviours. METHODS: An international sample of adults (N = 2510) across five sites completed the Revised-Green Paranoid Thoughts Scale and the PPS. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted using these two paranoia variables. Classes were compared on trait worry (Penn State Worry Questionnaire), beliefs about self/others (Brief Core Schema Scales), and pro-health behaviour. RESULTS: Three latent classes emerged: Class 1 with low R-GPTS and PPS scores, Class 2 with a high R-GPTS score and a moderate PPS score, and Class 3 with high R-GPTS and PPS scores. Compared to Class 1, Classes 2-3 were associated with more worry and negative self- and other-beliefs. Class 3 was further characterised by greater positive-self beliefs and less engagement in pro-health behaviours. Engagement in pro-health behaviours was positively correlated with interpersonal mistrust and negatively correlated with paranoid conspiracy and persecutory threat. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with a general paranoia tendency were more likely to respond to the global health threats in a suspicious and distrusting way. Our findings suggested that worry and negative self/other beliefs may contribute to not just general paranoia but also pandemic paranoia. The preliminary finding of a link between pro-health behaviours and interpersonal mistrust warrants further examination.

Are they out to get me? Individual differences in nonclinical paranoia as a function of narcissism and defensive self-protection.

OBJECTIVE: Three studies tested a novel model of the narcissism-paranoia link, whereby narcissism (primarily its socially maladaptive facets) is associated with paranoia via over-use of defensive self-protection and/or under-use of self-affirmation. METHODS: In Study 1, 245 online volunteers (87% female; MAGE  = 20.92; 44% White-British) completed trait measures of narcissism, self-enhancement/protection strategies and paranoia. In Study 2, 116 students (82% female; MAGE  = 20.23; 70% White-British) completed baseline measures, then reported state reactions and paranoia following two difficult and two pleasant interpersonal events after 3-10 days. In Study 3, 517 online volunteers (64% female; MAGE  = 22.76; 77% White/Caucasian) completed baseline measures, experienced a standardized social exclusion (vs. neutral) manipulation (Cyberball), then reported state reactions and paranoia. RESULTS: In Study 1, narcissism was associated with higher paranoia via defensiveness. In Study 2, this was replicated in difficult but not pleasant events, and was driven by the Entitlement/Exploitativeness facet of narcissism. In Study 3, narcissistic rivalry and vulnerable narcissism, but not admiration, were associated with Cyberball-related paranoia via general defensiveness and denigration of others. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals high in narcissism-especially its socially maladaptive facets-who over-rely on defensive self-protection strategies in response to threat, are particularly vulnerable to paranoia. Findings help to understand individual differences in paranoia.