Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the measure of insight into cognition-self-report in psychosis-risk and non-clinical Mexican young adults.

AIM: Cognitive disturbances typically precede the onset of overt psychotic symptoms and represent a neurobiological marker for psychosis risk that is also associated with poor functional outcomes. The Measure of Insight into Cognition-Self Report (MIC-SR) is a widely used 12-item questionnaire that assesses the perceived frequency of cognitive impairment in the domains of executing functioning, attention, and memory. However, the MIC-SR is not available in Spanish, one of the most widely spoken languages worldwide. The present study aimed to provide a Spanish version of the MIC-SR and examine its psychometric properties in psychosis-risk and non-clinical Mexican young adults. METHODS: The sample comprised 621 participants who completed a battery of self-report measures via an online survey. Of the participants, 478 were non-clinical, and 143 met the screening criteria for a clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR-positive). RESULTS: Confirmatory Factor Analyses supported a one-factor model, consistent with the findings for the original MIC-SR. The results showed adequate fit indices for the general model and the independent models for both groups, with high Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Furthermore, the CHR-positive group showed more frequent subjective cognitive problems on each of the 12 items, higher total scores, and higher average frequency than the non-clinical group. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first translation of the MIC-SR into Spanish. Using the MIC-SR at the CHR stage may contribute to our understanding of cognitive processes associated with the onset of a psychotic disorder and provide valuable information in the context of detection and early intervention efforts.

Empirically-derived dimensions of childhood adversity and cumulative risk: associations with measures of depression, anxiety, and psychosis-spectrum psychopathology.

Background: Investigating different approaches to operationalizing childhood adversity and how they relate to transdiagnostic psychopathology is relevant to advance research on mechanistic processes and to inform intervention efforts. To our knowledge, previous studies have not used questionnaire and interview measures of childhood adversity to examine factor-analytic and cumulative-risk approaches in a complementary manner.Objective: The first aim of this study was to identify the dimensions underlying multiple subscales from three well-established childhood adversity measures (the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Interview, and the Interview for Traumatic Events in Childhood) and to create a cumulative risk index based on the resulting dimensions. The second aim of the study was to examine the childhood adversity dimensions and the cumulative risk index as predictors of measures of depression, anxiety, and psychosis-spectrum psychopathology.Method: Participants were 214 nonclinically ascertained young adults who were administered questionnaire and interview measures of depression, anxiety, psychosis-spectrum phenomena, and childhood adversity.Results: Four childhood adversity dimensions were identified that captured experiences in the domains of Intrafamilial Adversity, Deprivation, Threat, and Sexual Abuse. As hypothesized, the adversity dimensions demonstrated some specificity in their associations with psychopathology symptoms. Deprivation was uniquely associated with the negative symptom dimension of psychosis (negative schizotypy and schizoid symptoms), Intrafamilial Adversity with schizotypal symptoms, and Threat with depression, anxiety, and psychosis-spectrum symptoms. No associations were found with the Sexual Abuse dimension. Finally, the cumulative risk index was associated with all the outcome measures.Conclusions: The findings support the use of both the empirically-derived adversity dimensions and the cumulative risk index and suggest that these approaches may facilitate different research objectives. This study contributes to our understanding of the complexity of childhood adversity and its links to different expressions of psychopathology.

We investigated how different approaches to operationalizing childhood adversity relate to transdiagnostic psychopathology.Four childhood adversity dimensions were found to underlie multiple subscales from three well-established childhood adversity measures.The childhood adversity dimensions demonstrated some specificity in their associations with the psychopathology symptom domains and the cumulative risk index was associated with all the outcomes.

Psychosocial factors associated with the risk of developing psychosis in a Mexican general population sample.

Epidemiological evidence has linked an array of sociodemographic and psychosocial factors with an increased risk of developing psychosis. However, research in samples from low- and middle-income countries is still scarce. This study used a Mexican sample to explore (i) sociodemographic and psychosocial differences between individuals with and without a positive screen for Clinical High-Risk for psychosis (CHR), and (ii) sociodemographic and psychosocial factors associated with screening positive for CHR. The sample consisted of 822 individuals from the general population who completed an online survey. Of the participants, 17.3% (n = 142) met the CHR screening criteria. Comparisons between those who screened positive (CHR-positive group) and those who did not (Non-CHR group) showed that participants in the CHR-positive group were younger, had a lower educational level, and reported more mental health problems than the Non-CHR group. Furthermore, relative to the Non-CHR group, the CHR-positive group had a greater prevalence of medium/high risk associated with cannabis use, a higher prevalence of adverse experiences (bullying, intimate partner violence, and experiencing a violent or unexpected death of a relative or friend), as well as higher levels of childhood maltreatment, poorer family functioning, and more distress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Groups did not differ in sex, marital/relationship status, occupation, and socio-economic status. Finally, when examined in multivariate analyses, the variables associated with screening positive for CHR were: having an unhealthy family functioning (OR = 2.75, 95%CI 1.69-4.46), a higher risk associated with cannabis use (OR = 2.75, 95%CI 1.63-4.64), a lower level of education (OR = 1.55, 95%CI 1.003-2.54), having experienced a major natural disaster (OR = 1.94, 95%CI 1.18-3.16), having experienced a violent or unexpected death of a relative or friend (OR = 1.85, 95%CI 1.22-2.81), higher levels of childhood emotional abuse (OR = 1.88, 95%CI 1.09-3.25), physical neglect (OR = 1.68, 95%CI 1.08-2.61), and physical abuse (OR = 1.66, 95%CI 1.05-2.61), and higher COVID-related distress (OR = 1.10, 95%CI 1.01-1.20). An older age was a protective factor for screening positive for CHR (OR = 0.96, 95%CI 0.92-0.99). Overall, the findings highlight the importance of examining potential psychosocial contributors to psychosis vulnerability across different sociocultural contexts to delineate risk and protective processes relevant to specific populations and better target preventive intervention efforts.

Dissociation and insecure attachment as mediators of the relation between childhood emotional abuse and nonclinical paranoid traits.

Background: Research suggests dissociation and insecure attachment serve as explanatory mechanisms in the pathway from childhood trauma to paranoia. However, past work has not examined these mechanisms concurrently in nonclinical populations. Objective: The current study sought to examine dissociation and insecure attachment as parallel mediators of the association between childhood emotional abuse and paranoid traits. Furthermore, a serial mediation model with insecure attachment preceding dissociation in the explanatory pathway was explored. Methods: Eighty-nine nonclinically ascertained young adults were assessed for childhood emotional abuse, dissociation, attachment styles, and paranoid traits. Parallel and serial mediation models were tested. Results: The association of childhood emotional abuse with both interview-based and self-reported paranoid traits was significantly mediated by dissociation and preoccupied attachment. Fearful attachment was a significant mediator in the model for self-reported paranoid traits. No evidence for a serial mediation effect was found. Conclusions: The present findings extend support for dissociation and attachment insecurity as mechanisms underlying the link between childhood emotional maltreatment and paranoid traits. Longitudinal research is needed to inform whether insecure attachment contributes to dissociation along the pathways to paranoid traits.

Antecedentes: La investigación sugiere que la disociación y el apego inseguro sirven como mecanismos explicativos en el camino del trauma infantil a la paranoia. Sin embargo, trabajos anteriores no han examinado estos mecanismos concurrentemente en poblaciones no clínicas.Objetivo: El estudio actual buscó examinar la disociación y el apego inseguro como mediadores paralelos de la asociación entre el abuso emocional infantil y los rasgos paranoides. Además, se exploró un modelo de mediación en serie con apego inseguro como precedente de la disociación en la vía explicativa.Métodos: Ochenta y nueve adultos jóvenes no evaluados clínicamente fueron medidos en cuanto a abuso emocional infantil, disociación, estilos de apego y rasgos paranoides. Se probaron modelos de mediación en paralelo y en serie.Resultados: La asociación del abuso emocional infantil con rasgos paranoides tanto basados en entrevistas como auto-reporte fue mediada significativamente por la disociación y el apego preocupado. El apego temeroso fue un mediador significativo en el modelo de rasgos paranoides auto-reportados. No se encontró evidencia de mediación en serie.Conclusiones: Los presentes hallazgos apoyan a la disociación y la inseguridad del apego como mecanismos subyacentes a la asociación entre el maltrato emocional infantil y los rasgos paranoides. Una investigación longitudinal sería necesaria para explorar si el apego inseguro contribuye a la disociación en la vía del desarrollo de los rasgos paranoides.

Self-Schemas and Self-Esteem Discrepancies in Subclinical Paranoia: The Essential Role of Depressive Symptoms.

Background : Self-concepts are being intensively investigated in relation to paranoia, but research has shown some contradictory findings. Studying subclinical phenomena in a non-clinical population should allow for a clearer understanding given that clinical confounding factors are avoided. We explored self-esteem, self-schemas, and implicit/explicit self-esteem discrepancies in three non-clinical groups with different psychopathological traits and a control group. Methods: Participants with elevated trait-paranoia (n = 41), depressive symptoms (n = 34), a combination of both traits (n = 32), and a control group (n = 71) were assessed on implicit and explicit self-esteem, self-schemas, depression, and paranoia. A dimensional approach with the total sample (n = 208) was also used to complement the information provided by the group approach. Results: All groups presented similar and positive levels of implicit self-esteem. Trait-paranoia participants had similar levels of explicit self-esteem and self-schemas compared with the control group. However, the group with a combination of trait-paranoia and depressive symptoms showed the lowest levels of positive self-schemas and self-esteem. Furthermore, this group and the control group displayed implicit/explicit self-esteem discrepancies, although in opposite directions and with different implications. The dimensional approach revealed associations of trait-paranoia and depressive symptoms with poor explicit self-esteem and self-schemas but not with implicit self-esteem. Conclusions: Trait-paranoia participants showed different self-representations depending on whether depressive symptoms were present or not. The interaction between subclinical neurotic and psychotic traits entailed a detrimental self-representation that might increase the risk for psychopathology.

Attachment as a mechanism between childhood maltreatment and subclinical psychotic phenomena: Results from an eight-year follow-up study.

We previously reported that fearful attachment mediated associations of childhood maltreatment with subclinical psychotic phenomena. At an eight-year follow-up, we aimed to replicate and extend this finding by examining the mediating role of disorganized attachment. Participants were 169 young adults who completed baseline and eight-year follow-up questionnaires. Physical/emotional maltreatment was prospectively associated with paranoid beliefs and positive schizotypy. For paranoid beliefs, fearful and disorganized attachment were significant mediators in separate models, whereas only disorganized was significant when examining all attachment styles concurrently. For positive schizotypy, no mediation was found. Findings support psychological models of paranoia and may inform intervention efforts.

Defining and assessing key behavioral indicators of the Shifting Cultural Lenses model of cultural competence.

Models of cultural competence highlight the importance of the sociocultural world that is inhabited by patients, and the question of how best to integrate sociocultural factors into clinical assessment and intervention. However, one significant limitation of such approaches is that they leave unclear what type of in-session therapist behaviors actually reflect cultural competence. We draw on the Shifting Cultural Lenses model to operationalize culturally competent in-session behaviors. We argue that a key component of cultural competence is the collaborative relationship between therapists and patients, in which therapists shift between their own cultural lenses and those of their clients, as they co-construct shared narratives together. Accordingly, we propose that culturally competent therapist behaviors include accessing the client's views, explicitly presenting their own views as mental health care professionals, and working towards a shared understanding. We further specify the latter set of behaviors as including the practitioner's integration of the patient's view, their encouragement of the patient to consider their professional view, and the negotiation of a shared view. We developed a coding system to identify these therapist behaviors and examined the reliability of raters across 11 couple and 4 individual therapy sessions. We assessed whether the behavioral codes varied in expected ways over the first 3 sessions of 2 therapists' couple therapy as well. Operationalizing the behavioral indicators of the Shifting Cultural Lenses model opens the door to the integration of both process- and content-oriented approaches to cultural competence.

Interaction of both positive and negative daily-life experiences with FKBP5 haplotype on psychosis risk.

BACKGROUND: There is limited research on the interaction of both positive and negative daily-life environments with stress-related genetic variants on psychotic experiences (PEs) and negative affect (NA) across the extended psychosis phenotype. This study examined whether the FK506 binding protein 51 (FKBP5) variability moderates the association of positive and negative experiences in the moment with PEs and NA in participants with incipient psychosis and their nonclinical counterparts. METHODS: A total of 233 nonclinical and 86 incipient psychosis participants were prompted for a 1-week period to assess their day-to-day experiences. Participants were genotyped for four FKBP5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3800373, rs9296158, rs1360780, and rs9470080). RESULTS: Multilevel analyses indicated that, unlike the risk haplotype, the protective FKBP5 haplotype moderated all the associations of positive experiences with diminished PEs and NA in incipient psychosis compared with nonclinical group. CONCLUSIONS: Participants with incipient psychosis showed symptomatic improvement when reporting positive appraisals in the interpersonal domain, which suggests that these act as a powerful coping mechanism. The fact that this occurred in daily-life underscores the clinical significance of this finding and pinpoints the importance of identifying protective mechanisms. In addition, results seem to concur with the vantage sensitivity model of gene-environment interaction, which poses that certain genetic variants may enhance the likelihood of benefiting from positive exposures.

Relatives' attachment anxiety mediates the association between perceived loss and expressed emotion in early psychosis.

A common reaction experienced by family members of patients with psychosis is grief for the loss of their healthy relative. Importantly, high levels of perceived loss have been related to the manifestation of high expressed emotion (EE), which includes the negative attitudes expressed by relatives toward an ill family member. However, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between relatives' perceived loss and EE attitudes in the early stages of psychosis are still not fully understood. In this regard, attachment theory has been suggested as a useful framework for understanding this link. The current study aimed to examine: (1) whether relatives' perceived loss was associated with relatives' EE dimensions (i.e., criticism and emotional over-involvement (EOI)), and (2) whether such associations were mediated by relatives' attachment dimensions (i.e., anxiety and avoidance). Seventy-eight relatives of patients with early psychosis completed the Mental Illness Version of the Texas Inventory of Grief for the assessment of loss reactions. Attachment dimensions and EE attitudes were assessed by the Psychosis Attachment Measure and the Family Questionnaire, respectively. Findings indicated that relatives' perceived loss was associated with EE dimensions. Relatives' attachment anxiety, but not avoidance, mediated the relationship of perceived loss with both criticism and EOI. Findings highlight the importance of examining the role of relatives' attachment characteristics for understanding how perceptions of loss might impact the manifestation of EE attitudes in the early stages of psychosis. Family interventions aimed at assisting relatives to improve their management of negative emotional reactions to loss are fundamental to prevent impairing loss reactions and the entrenchment of high-EE attitudes.

Emerging Adulthood and Prospective Depression: A Simultaneous Test of Cumulative Risk Theories.

Past research indicates that a history of depression and exposure to abuse and neglect represent some of the most robust predictors of depression in emerging adults. However, studies rarely test the additive or interactive risk associated with these distinct risk factors. In response, the present study explored how these three risk factors (prior depression, abuse, and neglect) synergistically predicted prospective depressive symptoms in a sample of 214 emerging adults (Mage = 21.4 years; SDage = 2.4; 78% females). Subtypes of maltreatment and lifetime history of depression were assessed through semi-structured interviews, and depressive symptoms were assessed annually for three years via self-report measures. The results indicated that for both males and females, a lifetime history of depression, abuse, and neglect-exposure uniquely conferred risk for elevated depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the interaction between neglect and prior depression forecasted increasing depressive symptoms, and a history of abuse also predicted increasing depressive symptoms, but only in females. These findings are contextualized within extant developmental psychopathology theories, and translational implications for trauma-informed depression prevention efforts are discussed.

Prediction of prodromal symptoms and schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorder traits by positive and negative schizotypy: A 3-year prospective study.

The present study extends previous cross-sectional findings by examining the predictive validity of positive and negative schizotypy in a young adult sample at a three-year follow-up. Schizotypy and schizophrenia share a comparable multidimensional structure with positive and negative dimensions being the most strongly supported factors. Previous cross-sectional and longitudinal studies employing the psychometric high-risk strategy indicated that schizotypy is a useful method for identifying risk and resilience factors for the development of schizophrenia-spectrum psychopathology. In the present study, 103 participants (77% of 134 candidate participants) were reassessed at a three-year follow-up. As hypothesized, positive schizotypy predicted psychotic-like symptoms, depression, low self-esteem, and general psychopathology. Negative schizotypy predicted emotional disturbances, schizoid personality traits, and mental health treatment during the past year. As expected, both schizotypy dimensions predicted schizotypal, paranoid, and avoidant personality traits, and impaired functioning. These longitudinal findings provide additional evidence supporting the multidimensional model of schizotypy as a valid framework for studying etiological mechanisms and trajectories of psychosis.

Interaction between FKBP5 variability and recent life events in the anxiety spectrum: Evidence for the differential susceptibility model.

BACKGROUND: Gene-environment interaction (GxE) research has highlighted the importance of investigating the FK506 binding protein 51 (FKBP5) gene as a sensitivity gene. However, previous GxE studies with FKBP5 have not measured the full environmental spectrum or applied statistical tests to discern whether the GxE interaction fits better with the differential-susceptibility or diathesis-stress hypotheses. This study examined whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on FKBP5 gene moderate the association of positive and negative recent life events (LEs) with depressive symptoms, state-anxiety, neuroticism, and social anxiety traits. METHODS: A total of 86 nonclinical young adults were administered psychological measures and were genotyped for five FKBP5 SNPs (rs3800373, rs9296158, rs1360780, rs9470080 and rs4713916). RESULTS: Regression analyses indicated significant GxE interactions for social anxiety and neuroticism. The interactions predicting neuroticism fit different models for different SNPs, although the overall effect indicated by the haplotype was consistent with the differential-susceptibility hypothesis: the risk-haplotype group presented higher neuroticism in the presence of more negative LEs and lower neuroticism in the presence of more positive LEs. The GxE interactions for social anxiety were consistent with the diathesis-stress model. The lack of significance in the for-better side for social anxiety might be related to the fact that it mapped onto low extraversion, which is associated with a lower permeability to positive experiences. DISCUSSION: Findings underscore the importance of testing the differential-susceptibility model in relation to FKBP5 to adequately characterize its role in healthy and pathological developmental processes.

The genome-wide associated candidate gene ZNF804A and psychosis-proneness: Evidence of sex-modulated association.

BACKGROUND: The Zinc finger protein 804A (ZNF804A) is a promising candidate gene for schizophrenia and the broader psychosis phenotype that emerged from genome-wide association studies. It is related to neurodevelopment and associated to severe symptoms of schizophrenia and alterations in brain structure, as well as positive schizotypal personality traits in non-clinical samples. Moreover, a female-specific association has been observed between ZNF804A and schizophrenia. AIM: The present study examined the association of two ZNF804A polymorphisms (rs1344706 and rs7597593) with the positive dimension of schizotypy and psychotic-like experiences in a sample of 808 non-clinical subjects. Additionally, we wanted to explore whether the sexual differences reported in schizophrenia are also present in psychosis-proneness. RESULTS: Our results showed an association between rs7597593 and both schizotypy and psychotic-like experiences. These associations were driven by females, such those carrying the C allele had higher scores in the positive dimension of both variables compared to TT allele homozygotes. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study support the inclusion of ZNF804 variability in studies of the vulnerability for the development of psychopathology in non-clinical samples and consideration of sex as a moderator of this association.

Interaction between FKBP5 gene and childhood trauma on psychosis, depression and anxiety symptoms in a non-clinical sample.

BACKGROUND: Childhood trauma has been associated with a heightened risk for presenting clinical and non-clinical psychopathology in adulthood. Genes related with the stress response, such as the FK506 binding protein 51 (FKBP5), are plausible candidates moderating the effects of childhood trauma on the emergence of such symptoms later on. The present study aimed to explore the moderating role of FKBP5 genetic variability on the association of different types of childhood trauma with subclinical psychosis, depression and anxiety in a non-clinical sample. METHODS: Schizotypy, psychotic-like experiences, depression and anxiety symptoms and childhood trauma were assessed in 808 young adults. Two FKBP5 haplotypic blocks were detected: block 1 (rs3800373 - rs9296158 - rs1360780) and block 2 (rs9470080 - rs4713916). Subjects were classified in two groups according to whether they carried or not the risk haplotype previously described in the literature (block 1: CAT and block 2: TA). Linear regression analyses were used to study (i) the main effects of childhood trauma and FKBP5 haplotype blocks and (ii) their interaction effects on the mentioned forms of psychopathology. RESULTS: All childhood trauma scales, except sexual abuse, were associated with schizotypy, psychotic-like experiences, depression and anxiety symptoms. None of the analysed symptoms was associated with the main effects of FKBP5 genetic variability. However an interaction effect between block 1 and physical abuse was observed on anxiety, with lower scores in CAT carriers. This effect was driven by SNP 1 and 2. Moreover, an interaction effect between block 2 and physical abuse was identified on the variables tapping depressive and anxiety symptoms. Specifically, non-TA carrier subjects who were exposed to physical abuse were found to be at higher risk for depressive and anxiety symptoms. These effects were driven by SNP 5. No interaction effect was observed for the other variables. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that exposure to childhood physical abuse may increase the risk for sub-clinical depressive and anxiety symptoms depending on FKBP5 genetic variability. Further research is needed to better elucidate the role of FKBP5 on mental health in clinical and non-clinical cohorts.

Expression of schizophrenia-spectrum personality traits in daily life.

The present study examined the expression of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) schizotypal, schizoid, and paranoid personality disorder (PD) traits in daily life using experience sampling methodology in 206 nonclinically ascertained Spanish young adults oversampled for risk for schizophrenia-spectrum psychopathology. This study examined the overlap and differentiation of pathological personality traits in daily life settings, according to both diagnostic and multidimensional models. Daily life outcomes differentiated among schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The assignment of Cluster A personality traits to positive, negative, paranoid, and disorganized dimensions provided an alternative to the traditional PD diagnoses. Positive, disorganized, and paranoid schizotypy were associated with elevated stress reactivity, whereas negative schizotypy was associated with diminished reactivity in daily life. The current diagnostic model is limited by the considerable overlap among the PD traits. Nonetheless, experience sampling methodology is sensitive enough to detect differences in day-to-day impairment and can be a powerful research tool for the examination of dynamic constructs such as personality pathology. (PsycINFO Database Record

Association between RGS4 variants and psychotic-like experiences in nonclinical individuals.

The psychosis phenotype is expressed across a continuum known as schizotypy, which ranges from personality variation through subclinical symptoms to severe psychopathology. The study of subclinical manifestations in non-affected individuals minimizes confounding factors associated with the clinical phenotype and facilitates the differentiation of dimension-specific etiological mechanisms. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the variation in the regulator of G-protein signaling 4 (RGS4) gene, a putative candidate gene for psychosis previously associated with schizophrenia endophenotypes, and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). In total, 808 healthy individuals completed the community assessment of psychic experiences (CAPE) to measure positive and negative PLEs and provided a DNA sample. Two RGS4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs951436 [SNP4] and rs2661319 [SNP18]) were genotyped. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to explore the association of positive and negative PLEs with RGS4 variation. Our results showed associations of positive and negative PLEs with the two polymorphisms studied: subjects with the T allele (SNP4) and the A allele (SNP18) had higher scores on both the positive and the negative dimensions. Haplotypic analyses supported these results, showing the highest scores in those with the TA haplotype (SNP4-SNP18). The RGS4 variants might exert gene-specific modulating effects on psychosis proneness.

Childhood trauma, BDNF Val66Met and subclinical psychotic experiences. Attempt at replication in two independent samples.

Childhood trauma exposure is a robust environmental risk factor for psychosis. However, not all exposed individuals develop psychotic symptoms later in life. The Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) has been suggested to moderate the psychosis-inducing effects of childhood trauma in clinical and nonclinical samples. Our study aimed to explore the interaction effect between childhood trauma and the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on subclinical psychotic experiences (PEs). This was explored in two nonclinical independent samples: an undergraduate and technical-training school student sample (n = 808, sample 1) and a female twin sample (n = 621, sample 2). Results showed that childhood trauma was strongly associated with positive and negative PEs in nonclinical individuals. A BDNF Val66Met x childhood trauma effect on positive PEs was observed in both samples. These results were discordant in terms of risk allele: while in sample 1 Val allele carriers, especially males, were more vulnerable to the effects of childhood trauma regarding PEs, in sample 2 Met carriers presented higher PEs scores when exposed to childhood trauma, compared with Val carriers. Moreover, in sample 2, a significant interaction was also found in relation to negative PEs. Our study partially replicates previous findings and suggests that some individuals are more prone to develop PEs following childhood trauma because of a complex combination of multiple factors. Further studies including genetic, environmental and epigenetic factors may provide insights in this field.

The Interaction between Childhood Bullying and the FKBP5 Gene on Psychotic-Like Experiences and Stress Reactivity in Real Life.

AIM: The present study employed Experience Sampling Methodology to examine whether the interaction between childhood bullying and FKBP5 variability (i) is associated with the expression of psychotic-like experiences, paranoia, and negative affect, and (ii) moderates psychotic-like, paranoid, and affective reactivity to different forms of momentary stress (situational and social) in daily life. METHODS: A total of 206 nonclinical young adults were interviewed for bullying with the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse and were prompted randomly eight times daily for one week to complete assessments of their current experiences, affect, and stress appraisals. Participants were genotyped for three FKBP5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs3800373, rs9296158, and rs1360780) that have been linked to hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity. Multilevel analyses were conducted to examine the effect of the interaction between childhood bullying and the FKBP5 haplotype derived from these three SNPs. RESULTS: The interaction between bullying and the FKBP5 haplotype was associated with positive, but not negative, psychotic-like experiences, paranoia, and negative affect. The bullying x FKBP5 interaction also moderated the association of a social stress appraisal (specifically, being alone because people do not want to be with you) with psychotic-like experiences and negative affect in daily life. Simple slopes analyses indicated that, in all cases, the associations were significantly increased by exposure to bullying in participants with the risk haplotype, but not for those with the non-risk haplotype. DISCUSSION: The present study provides the first evidence of the interplay between childhood bullying and FKBP5 variability in the real-world expression of psychosis proneness and social stress reactivity. The findings underscore the importance of investigating how gene-environment interactions are involved in mechanistic pathways to the extended psychosis phenotype and lend further support to the increasing relevance given to socially defeating appraisals in the experience of reality distortion.

Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Psychotic-Like Symptoms and Stress Reactivity in Daily Life in Nonclinical Young Adults.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing interest in elucidating the association of different childhood adversities with psychosis-spectrum symptoms as well as the mechanistic processes involved. This study used experience sampling methodology to examine (i) associations of a range of childhood adversities with psychosis symptom domains in daily life; (ii) whether associations of abuse and neglect with symptoms are consistent across self-report and interview methods of trauma assessment; and (iii) the role of different adversities in moderating affective, psychotic-like, and paranoid reactivity to situational and social stressors. METHOD: A total of 206 nonclinical young adults were administered self-report and interview measures to assess childhood abuse, neglect, bullying, losses, and general traumatic events. Participants received personal digital assistants that signaled them randomly eight times daily for one week to complete questionnaires about current experiences, including symptoms, affect, and stress. RESULTS: Self-reported and interview-based abuse and neglect were associated with psychotic-like and paranoid symptoms, whereas only self-reported neglect was associated with negative-like symptoms. Bullying was associated with psychotic-like symptoms. Losses and general traumatic events were not directly associated with any of the symptom domains. All the childhood adversities were associated with stress reactivity in daily life. Interpersonal adversities (abuse, neglect, bullying, and losses) moderated psychotic-like and/or paranoid reactivity to situational and social stressors, whereas general traumatic events moderated psychotic-like reactivity to situational stress. Also, different interpersonal adversities exacerbated psychotic-like and/or paranoid symptoms in response to distinct social stressors. DISCUSSION: The present study provides a unique examination of how childhood adversities impact the expression of spectrum symptoms in the real world and lends support to the notion that stress reactivity is a mechanism implicated in the experience of reality distortion in individuals exposed to childhood trauma. Investigating the interplay between childhood experience and current context is relevant for uncovering potential pathways to the extended psychosis phenotype.

Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Psychotic-Like Symptoms and Stress Reactivity in Daily Life in Nonclinical Young Adults.

(Reprinted with permission from PLoS ONE 11(4): e0153557).