Psychotic experiences (PE) are common in the general population, in particular in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. PE have been shown to be associated with an increased risk for later psychotic disorders, mental disorders, and poorer functioning. Recent findings have highlighted the relevance of PE to many fields of healthcare, including treatment response in clinical services for anxiety & depression treatment, healthcare costs and service use. Despite PE relevance to many areas of mental health, and healthcare research, there remains a gap of information between PE researchers and experts in other fields. With this review, we aim to bridge this gap by providing a broad overview of the current state of PE research, and future directions. This narrative review aims to provide an broad overview of the literature on psychotic experiences, under the following headings: (1) Definition and Measurement of PE; (2) Risk Factors for PE; (3) PE and Health; (4) PE and Psychosocial Functioning; (5) Interventions for PE, (6) Future Directions.

IMPORTANCEThe understanding of the development of psychopathology has been hampered by a reliance on cross-sectional data and symptom-or disorder-centered methods. Person-centered methods can accommodate both the problems of comorbidity and the movement between different psychopathological states at different phases of development. OBJECTIVE To examine the profiles and map the trajectories of psychopathology from early childhood to late adolescence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study used 2 longitudinal nationally representative community-based cohorts from the Growing Up in Ireland study covering developmental periods from early childhood to late adolescence. Data in this investigation came from children and their families who participated in all waves of cohorts recruited in 2008 (children ages 3, 5, and 9 years) and 1998 (adolescents ages 9, 13, and 17 or 18 years). Both samples were weighted to account for representation and attrition. Latent transition analyses were used to map the trajectories of psychopathology. Data were analyzed between October 2020 and September 2021. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Psychopathology was measured using the Strengths andDifficulties Questionnaire at all ages in both samples.RESULTS A total of 13 546 individuals were included in the analyses. In the child cohort, mean (SD) age was 3.0 [0.01] years; 3852 (51.3%) were male participants. In the adolescent cohort, mean age was 9.0 (0.1) years; 3082 (51.0%) were male participants. Four profiles were identified in both cohorts that could be broadly labeled as no psychopathology (incidence range, 60%-70%), high psychopathology (incidence range, 3%-5%), externalizing problems (incidence range, 15%-25%), and internalizing problems (incidence range, 7%-12%). Transition between the profiles was common in both cohorts, with 3649 of 7507 participants (48.6%) in the child cohort and 2661 of 6039 participants (44.1%) in the adolescent cohort moving into 1 of the 3 psychopathology profiles at some point in development. Transition to the high psychopathology profile was most often preceded by externalizing problems. Approximately 3% to 4% of the sample had persistent psychopathology (child cohort, 203 participants [2.7%]; adolescent cohort, 216 participants [3.6%]). All psychopathology profiles were more common in boys in early life but, by late adolescence, girls were more likely to have internalizing problems. In a cross-cohort comparison at age 9, there were differences in the sex distributions of the profiles between the samples. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEUsing person-centered methods, this study demonstrated that from early life young peoples' experience of psychopathology is dynamic-they can move between different mental health problems; for most children, these problems are transient, but a small (continued) Key Points Question How can the profiles and trajectories of psychopathology from early life (age 3 years) to late adolescence (age 17 years) be mapped with person-centered methods to accommodate problems of comorbidit...

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AimEvidence suggest individuals with mental disorders and psychotic experiences (PE), even transient PE, show poorer psychosocial outcomes relative to those with mental disorders. The concept of “attachment” is hypothesized as the mechanism by which people seek support in times of need. This can be measured as discrete styles or as positive (low avoidance/anxiety)/negative (high avoidance/anxiety) dimensions. Adult attachment has previously been examined on PE risk factors, but not outcomes. This study aimed to examine the relationship between transient childhood PE and adult psychosocial outcomes, comparing those with and without mental disorders. Second, to examine the role of adult attachment.MethodParticipants (n = 103) attended baseline (age 11–13) and 10‐year follow‐up. PE and mental disorders were measured using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School‐aged Children. Attachment and outcomes were measured using self‐report measures. Analysis compared those with PE (with/without mental disorders), and mental disorders without PE, to controls, using linear and Poisson regression.ResultsPE was associated with lower self‐esteem (β = −2.28, p = .03), perceived social support from friends (β = −2.80, p = .01), and higher stress in platonic relationships (IRR = 1.64). PE and mental disorders were associated with lower self‐esteem (β = −5.74, p = .002), higher stress in romantic (IRR = 1.40) and platonic (IRR = 1.59) relationships, general stress (β = 5.60, p = .006), and mental distress (β = 5.67, p = .001). Mental disorders alone was not associated with any measure. Adult attachment dimensions attenuated some results.ConclusionsThis paper illustrates the association between transient PE and adult psychosocial outcomes, with & without co‐occurring mental disorders, and demonstrates the role of adult attachment.