The mediating effect of affect: Different pathways from self and other schemas to persecutory ideation.

Abstract

The threat anticipation model of paranoia (Freeman, 2007) highlights the important roles of schemas and affect in delusional belief; however, we aimed to address unanswered questions about the way in which affect mediates the relationship between schemas and persecutory ideas. In Study 1, we hypothesized that anxiety would mediate the relationship between persecutory ideation (PI) and both negative-self schemas (NSS) and negative-other schemas (NOS). A nonclinical sample completed a battery of measures on computer. Anxiety partially mediated the relationship between NSS and PI, but NOS were related to PI independently of anxiety. In Study 2, an expanded model included self-esteem as a further predictor and social anxiety and depression as additional mediators. A path analysis of the expanded model suggested that the strongest fit reflected pathways from the self-concept (NSS and self-esteem) to PI via the affective variables (social anxiety, anxiety, depression), but with depression being the most important mediator. NOS still showed an independent relationship with PI. The findings suggest 2 pathways to PI: negative-self schemas depend on negative affect (particularly depression) to predict PI; in contrast, strong negative-other schemas may present sufficient foundation for persecutory beliefs regardless of negative affect.

Psychological Pathways to Paranoia and Psychotic-Like Experiences in Daily-Life: The Mediating Role of Distinct Affective Disturbances

“…This study also revealed possible pathways in the well-established relationship of low self-esteem with paranoia and psychosis. Findings replicate previous studies employing path analysis in nonclinical 24 and chronic schizophrenia samples, 26 indicating that anxiety and sadness mediated the association between self-esteem and paranoia, and suggesting that sadness is an essential emotion in the mechanistic pathway from low self-esteem to paranoia. Furthermore, we replicated findings for positive PLE other than paranoia, which seems to indicate that some theoretical assumptions that Freeman et al made in their model of persecutory delusions 9 , 73 apply at least in part to positive symptoms broadly.…”

“…Some evidence for this indirect path from negative beliefs about the self to paranoia has been reported. Using path analyses, Galbraith et al 24 found in undergraduate students that self-esteem lead to paranoia depending on levels of anxiety and depression. They showed that depression was the strongest mediator, concluding that the effect of anxiety depended on the presence of depression.…”

Delusional ideation, cognitive processes and crime based reasoning

“…The results gathered from the series of experiments, overall, are consistent with previous studies of delusional ideation and a ‘jump to conclusions’ bias ( Freeman, Pugh, Vorontsova, Antley, & Slater, 2010 ; Galbraith, Morgan, Jones, Ormerod, Galbraith, & Manktelow, 2014 ; van Os, Linscott, Myin-Germeys, Delespaul, & Krabbendam, 2009 ) and therefore a ‘jump to conclusions’ bias can be applicable to crime based reasoning as well as everyday scenarios. Although it appears that memory load does not affect the relationship between delusional ideation and a ‘jump to conclusions’ bias, other variables do appear to enhance the affect.…”

“…The continuity approach has gathered a wealth of support with regards to considering delusions and other features of psychosis being measurable on a continuum that extends from and includes clinical and nonclinical population ( Freeman, Pugh, Vorontsova, Antley, & Slater, 2010 ; Galbraith, Morgan, Jones, Ormerod, Galbraith, & Manktelow, 2014 ; van Os, Linscott, Myin-Germeys, Delespaul, & Krabbendam, 2009 ). Schizotypy is a sub-clinical category of experience which captures individuals who present schizo-psychopathological characteristics but are not extreme enough to be classified as requiring clinical attention of diagnostic ( Claridge & Beech, 1995 ).…”

Schematic beliefs, negative affect and paranoia in at‐risk youth

“…Concurrent examination of schema, affective symptoms and paranoia have found an independent relationship between negative-other beliefs and paranoid ideation, with negative affect mediating the relationship between negative self-schema and paranoia in a non-clinical sample (Galbraith et al, 2014). Furthermore, longitudinal research has demonstrated directional pathways specifically from negative self-schematic beliefs and depressed mood, to paranoia in a clinical sample (Fowler et al, 2012).…”