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Paranoia and interpersonal functioning across the continuum from healthy to pathological - Network analysis.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:Previous research has suggested that paranoia is associated with impaired social functioning in patients with schizophrenia and healthy individuals with high levels of paranoid ideation. This study analysed the relationship between paranoia and interpersonal functioning across the paranoia continuum using network analysis. METHOD:Levels of paranoid ideation and interpersonal functioning were measured in a non-clinical sample (N = 853) and in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (N = 226). Network analyses were used to examine the nature of paranoia's relation to interpersonal functioning in both populations. RESULTS:Although the most central characteristic of paranoia in both samples was the feeling of being talked about behind one's back, across samples, individual characteristics were differentially related to various aspects of interpersonal functioning. Among clinical individuals, difficulties in interpersonal functioning were related to perceived previous experiences of being treated poorly by others, whereas among the non-clinical sample, interpersonal functioning was related to negative beliefs about others. CONCLUSIONS:The current results support previous findings linking paranoid ideation to interpersonal functioning in both clinical and non-clinical samples. Patterns of these relationships differed slightly across groups. Results in general support a continuum model of paranoia. PRACTITIONER POINTS:Network analyses were used to identify central aspects of persecutory ideation in both clinical and non-clinical samples. Qualitative assessment of clinical and non-clinical networks revealed similar central symptoms and supported a continuum model of paranoia. Central aspects of paranoia, that is, feeling that others have talked about oneself behind one's back, being disappointed by others, and having distressing feelings of being watched by others, were associated with deficits in interpersonal functioning in both samples. Central aspects of paranoia may be beneficial targets for psychosocial interventions aimed at reducing paranoid ideation and improving interpersonal functioning. Demographic characteristics for this study differed between samples which may limit generalization of findings. Future research is needed to explore temporal associations and moment-to-moment dynamics between paranoid ideation and problems in interpersonal functioning.

SUBMITTER: Hajduk M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6339834 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Paranoia and interpersonal functioning across the continuum from healthy to pathological - Network analysis.

Hajdúk Michal M Klein Hans S HS Harvey Philip D PD Penn David L DL Pinkham Amy E AE

The British journal of clinical psychology 20180720 1

<h4>Objective</h4>Previous research has suggested that paranoia is associated with impaired social functioning in patients with schizophrenia and healthy individuals with high levels of paranoid ideation. This study analysed the relationship between paranoia and interpersonal functioning across the paranoia continuum using network analysis.<h4>Method</h4>Levels of paranoid ideation and interpersonal functioning were measured in a non-clinical sample (N = 853) and in patients with schizophrenia s ...[more]

PMID: 30028025

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Project description:BackgroundAlexithymia refers to a multidimensional personality trait with the facets difficulties identifying feelings (DIF), difficulties describing feelings (DDF), and externally orientated thinking (EOT). Alexithymia is a risk factor for mental and somatic disorders. Previous research with patients suffering from various disorders showed positive relationships between alexithymia and interpersonal problems. Only one study analyzed the link between alexithymic features and interpersonal difficulties in healthy individuals but yielded inconclusive findings because participants' negative affects were not controlled. A widely accepted conceptualization of interpersonal problems relies on the interpersonal circumplex, which is defined by two orthogonal dimensions, agency and communion. In the present study, we analyzed which facets of alexithymia are associated with the two interpersonal problem dimensions and the global severity of interpersonal distress, after adjusting for negative affect.MethodsTwo-hundred healthy young individuals (100 women) participated in the study. Alexithymic features were assessed using the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Interpersonal problems were measured with the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-D). Participants' state and trait anxiety, depressive symptoms, and verbal intelligence were also assessed.ResultsAll alexithymia scales were positively correlated with general interpersonal distress. Regression results suggested that the TAS-20 subscale DIF was the primary predictor of general interpersonal distress after controlling for negative affectivity. The scale DDF correlated negatively with the IIP-D dimension agency. According to our regression analysis, DDF was a predictor of (low) agency controlling for negative affects. Moreover, DDF correlated negatively with the IIP-D dimension communion. Our regression results indicate that DDF was a predictor of (low) communion independent of negative affect. Correlations between alexithymia facets and IIP-D subscales did not differ between genders.ConclusionsDifficulties identifying feelings seem to be linked to a high level of general interpersonal distress. Difficulties in recognizing one's feelings may disrupt emotion regulation, which could heighten the general risk of interpersonal problems. Difficulties describing feelings could be a central factor contributing to interpersonal problems related to low communion as well as low agency, since emotion expression and communication are crucial in establishing experiences of social closeness and directing other people's behavior.

Dataset Information

Paranoia and interpersonal functioning across the continuum from healthy to pathological - Network analysis.

Publications

Paranoia and interpersonal functioning across the continuum from healthy to pathological - Network analysis.

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