Final published version
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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - A temporal network analysis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis symptoms
AU - Panayi, Peter
AU - Contreras, Alba
AU - Peters, Emmanuelle
AU - Bentall, Richard
AU - Hardy, Amy
AU - Berry, Katherine
AU - Sellwood, William
AU - Dudley, Robert
AU - Longden, Eleanor
AU - Underwood, Raphael
AU - Steel, Craig
AU - Jafari, Hassan
AU - Mason, Liam
AU - Varese, Filippo
PY - 2025/2/20
Y1 - 2025/2/20
N2 - Symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) may play a role in the maintenance of psychotic symptoms. Network analyses have shown interrelationships between post-traumatic sequelae and psychosis, but the temporal dynamics of these relationships in people with psychosis and a history of trauma remain unclear. We aimed to explore, using network analysis, the temporal order of relationships between symptoms of cPTSD (i.e. core PTSD and disturbances of self-organization [DSOs]) and psychosis in the flow of daily life. Participants with psychosis and comorbid PTSD ( = 153) completed an experience-sampling study involving multiple daily assessments of psychosis (paranoia, voices, and visions), core PTSD (trauma-related intrusions, avoidance, hyperarousal), and DSOs (emotional dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties, negative self-concept) over six consecutive days. Multilevel vector autoregressive modeling was used to estimate three complementary networks representing different timescales. Our between-subjects network suggested that, on average over the testing period, most cPTSD symptoms related to at least one positive psychotic symptom. Many average relationships persist in the contemporaneous network, indicating symptoms of cPTSD and psychosis co-occur, especially paranoia with hyperarousal and negative self-concept. The temporal network suggested that paranoia reciprocally predicted, and was predicted by, hyperarousal, negative self-concept, and emotional dysregulation from moment to moment. cPTSD did not directly relate to voices in the temporal network. cPTSD and positive psychosis symptoms mutually maintain each other in trauma-exposed people with psychosis via the maintenance of current threat, consistent with cognitive models of PTSD. Current threat, therefore, represents a valuable treatment target in phased-based trauma-focused psychosis interventions.
AB - Symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) may play a role in the maintenance of psychotic symptoms. Network analyses have shown interrelationships between post-traumatic sequelae and psychosis, but the temporal dynamics of these relationships in people with psychosis and a history of trauma remain unclear. We aimed to explore, using network analysis, the temporal order of relationships between symptoms of cPTSD (i.e. core PTSD and disturbances of self-organization [DSOs]) and psychosis in the flow of daily life. Participants with psychosis and comorbid PTSD ( = 153) completed an experience-sampling study involving multiple daily assessments of psychosis (paranoia, voices, and visions), core PTSD (trauma-related intrusions, avoidance, hyperarousal), and DSOs (emotional dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties, negative self-concept) over six consecutive days. Multilevel vector autoregressive modeling was used to estimate three complementary networks representing different timescales. Our between-subjects network suggested that, on average over the testing period, most cPTSD symptoms related to at least one positive psychotic symptom. Many average relationships persist in the contemporaneous network, indicating symptoms of cPTSD and psychosis co-occur, especially paranoia with hyperarousal and negative self-concept. The temporal network suggested that paranoia reciprocally predicted, and was predicted by, hyperarousal, negative self-concept, and emotional dysregulation from moment to moment. cPTSD did not directly relate to voices in the temporal network. cPTSD and positive psychosis symptoms mutually maintain each other in trauma-exposed people with psychosis via the maintenance of current threat, consistent with cognitive models of PTSD. Current threat, therefore, represents a valuable treatment target in phased-based trauma-focused psychosis interventions.
KW - Young Adult
KW - Middle Aged
KW - experience sampling methodology
KW - Male
KW - disturbances of self-organization
KW - hallucinations
KW - Female
KW - Adult
KW - Psychotic Disorders - physiopathology
KW - Comorbidity
KW - paranoia
KW - visions
KW - Ecological Momentary Assessment
KW - Self Concept
KW - trauma
KW - Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - physiopathology
KW - Humans
U2 - 10.1017/S0033291725000030
DO - 10.1017/S0033291725000030
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 39973045
VL - 55
JO - Psychological Medicine
JF - Psychological Medicine
SN - 0033-2917
M1 - e43
ER -