Pathways Between Childhood Victimization and Psychosis-like Symptoms in the ALSPAC Birth Cohort
Open Access
- 1 September 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Schizophrenia Bulletin
- Vol. 39 (5), 1045-1055
- https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbs088
Abstract
Background: Several large population-based studies have demonstrated associations between adverse childhood experiences and later development of psychotic symptoms. However, little attention has been paid to the mechanisms involved in this pathway and the few existing studies have relied on cross-sectional assessments. Methods: Prospective data on 6692 children from the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) were used to address this issue. Mothers reported on children’s exposure to harsh parenting and domestic violence in early childhood, and children self-reported on bullying victimization prior to 8.5 years. Presence of children’s anxiety at 10 years and their depressive symptoms at 9 and 11 years were ascertained from mothers, and children completed assessments of self-esteem and locus of control at 8.5 years. Children were interviewed regarding psychotic symptoms at a mean age of 12.9 years. Multiple mediation analysis was performed to examine direct and indirect effects of each childhood adversity on psychotic symptoms. Results: The association between harsh parenting and psychotic symptoms was fully mediated by anxiety, depressive symptoms, external locus of control, and low self-esteem. Bullying victimization and exposure to domestic violence had their associations with psychotic symptoms partially mediated by anxiety, depression, locus of control, and self-esteem. Similar results were obtained following adjustment for a range of confounders and when analyses were conducted for boys and girls separately. Conclusions: These findings tentatively suggest that specific cognitive and affective difficulties in childhood could be targeted to minimize the likelihood of adolescents exposed to early trauma from developing psychotic symptoms.Keywords
This publication has 41 references indexed in Scilit:
- Prospective study of family adversity and maladaptive parenting in childhood and borderline personality disorder symptoms in a non-clinical population at 11 yearsPsychological Medicine, 2012
- Childhood Adversities Increase the Risk of Psychosis: A Meta-analysis of Patient-Control, Prospective- and Cross-sectional Cohort StudiesSchizophrenia Bulletin, 2012
- Association between locus of control in childhood and psychotic symptoms in early adolescence: Results from a large birth cohortCognitive Neuropsychiatry, 2011
- Childhood Trauma and Children's Emerging Psychotic Symptoms: A Genetically Sensitive Longitudinal Cohort StudyAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, 2011
- The varying impact of type, timing and frequency of exposure to childhood adversity on its association with adult psychotic disorderPsychological Medicine, 2010
- Routes to psychotic symptoms: Trauma, anxiety and psychosis-like experiencesPsychiatry Research, 2009
- Selective drop-out in longitudinal studies and non-biased prediction of behaviour disordersThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 2009
- Association of measures of fetal and childhood growth with non-clinical psychotic symptoms in 12-year-olds: the ALSPAC cohortThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 2009
- IQ and non-clinical psychotic symptoms in 12-year-olds: results from the ALSPAC birth cohortThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 2008
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the psychosis continuum: evidence for a psychosis proneness–persistence–impairment model of psychotic disorderPsychological Medicine, 2008