Psychotic-like experiences and correlation with distress and depressive symptoms in a community sample of adolescents and young adults

• Published in: Schizophrenia research 2010-06, Vol.119 (1), p.258-265
• Main Authors: Armando, Marco, Nelson, Barnaby, Yung, Alison R, Ross, Margaret, Birchwood, Maximilian, Girardi, Paolo, Nastro, Paolo Fiori
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Distress; Female; Health Surveys; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mood disorders; Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data; Prodrome; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - statistics & numerical data; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychosis; Psychotic Disorders - diagnosis; Psychotic Disorders - epidemiology; Psychotic Disorders - psychology; Psychotic-like experience; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - diagnosis; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - epidemiology; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - psychology; Social Adjustment; Victoria; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0920-9964; 1573-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2010.03.001

Abstract Objective Studies conducted in community samples indicate that psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are common in the general population; it has been suggested that such experiences are either variations in normal personality or different expressions of vulnerability to psychotic disorders. The aim of this study was to determine whether different subtypes of PLEs could be identified in a community sample of adolescents and young adults, and to investigate whether particular subtypes of PLEs were more likely to be associated with psychosocial difficulties, i.e. distress, depression and poor functioning, than other subtypes. Method 1882 students from high schools and universities participated in a cross-sectional multisite survey that measured i) PLEs using the Positive Scale of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE), ii) depression and distress using the CAPE Depression and Distress Subscales, and iii) functioning using the General Health Questionnaire-12. Factor analysis was conducted to identify any subtypes of PLEs. Results Four subtypes of PLEs were identified: bizarre experiences (BE), perceptual abnormalities (PA), persecutory ideas (PI) and grandiosity (GR). Intermittent, infrequent psychotic experiences were common, whereas frequent experiences were not. BE and PI were strongly associated with distress, depression and poor functioning. PA and GR were associated with these variables to a lesser degree. Conclusions Different subtypes of PLEs were identified in this large sample, confirming the findings of our previous studies. These subtypes seem to have different psychopathological meaning and may therefore indicate different levels of risk of severe psychiatric disorders, which suggests it is misleading to define PLEs as a homogenous entity.