Differential relations of locus of control to perceived social stress among help-seeking adolescents at low vs. high clinical risk of psychosis.

Research suggests that perceived social stress influences illness presentation and course among youth in the clinical high-risk (CHR) phase of psychosis. Little is known, however, about the social cognitive factors associated with social stress perception in this population, particularly relative to youth with non-CHR psychopathology. Individuals with psychosis tend to endorse an external locus of control (LOC), which is associated with the stress response in healthy individuals. LOC may therefore be related to perceived social stress in youth at CHR. We examined the differential relations of self-reported LOC and perceived social stress, as measured by the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, across 45 CHR and 65 help-seeking control (HSC) participants. Youth at CHR reported more social stress (F[1, 107]=6.28, p=0.01) and a more external LOC (F[1, 107]=4.98, p=0.03) than HSCs. Further, external LOC was more strongly associated with feelings of social stress in the CHR group relative to the HSC group (interaction: b=0.35, t[105]=2.32, p<0.05, f2=0.05). Group differences in social stress, however, were nonsignificant at internal levels of LOC (b=-2.0, t[105]=-0.72, p=0.48; f2=0.00). Results suggest that perceptions of uncontrollability over one's social environment may more often induce or exacerbate feelings of stress and tension in CHR youth relative to HSCs. A better understanding of the social cognition-stress relation may improve understanding of CHR phenomenology, etiology, and treatment.

High-risk diagnosis, social stress, and parent-child relationships: A moderation model.

Stress is related to symptom severity among youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, although this relation may be influenced by protective factors. We explored whether the association of CHR diagnosis with social stress is moderated by the quality of parent-child relationships in a sample of 96 (36 CHR; 60 help-seeking controls) adolescents and young adults receiving mental health services. We examined self-reported social stress and parent-child relationships as measured by the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2), and determined CHR status from the clinician-administered Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndrome (SIPS). The social stress subscale, part of the clinical domain of the BASC-2, assesses feelings of stress and tension in personal relationships and the relations with parents subscale, part of the adaptive domain of the BASC-2, assesses perceptions of importance in family and quality of parent-child relationship. There was a modest direct relation between risk diagnosis and social stress. Among those at CHR, however, there was a significant relation between parent-child relationships and social stress (b=-0.73, t[92]=-3.77, p<0.001, f(2)=0.15) that was not observed among non-CHR individuals, suggesting that a positive parent-child relationship may be a protective factor against social stress for those at risk for psychosis. Findings provide additional evidence to suggest that interventions that simultaneously target both social stress and parent-child relationships might be relevant for adolescents and young adults at clinical high-risk for psychosis.

Validation of a brief implicit association test of stigma: schizophrenia and dangerousness.

UNLABELLED: Abstract Background: Public perception of the link between schizophrenia and violence is exaggerated, and interventions are emerging that attempt to educate the public about the actual relationship between violence and schizophrenia. The effectiveness of programs targeting this dangerousness stereotype is unknown, however, as existing instruments do not capture a complete, unbiased picture of stigma. AIMS: To report on the properties of the Brief Implicit Association Test-Schizophrenia Danger (BIAT-SD), which we developed to capture the implicit perception that people with schizophrenia are dangerous. METHODS: We used a multi-trait, multi-method protocol to validate the BIAT-SD based on convergent and discriminant data from undergraduates (n = 97) at baseline and 4-weeks. RESULTS: Preliminary evidence was found for construct validity, internal consistency, and 30-min retest stability. CONCLUSIONS: Potential benefits and implications of the measure to improving the accuracy of stigma measurement are discussed.