Exploring the relationship between hallucination proneness and brain morphology.

Background: Hallucinations, including both auditory and visual forms, are often associated with alterations in brain structure, particularly in specific language-related cortical areas. Existing models propose different frameworks for understanding the relationship between brain volume and hallucination proneness, but practical evidence supporting these models is limited.

Methods: This study investigated the relationship between hallucination proneness and brain volume in language-related cortical regions, specifically the superior temporal gyrus and Broca's area.

Could an evaluative conditioning intervention ameliorate paranoid beliefs? Self-reported and neurophysiological evidence from a brief intervention focused on improving self-esteem.

Introduction: Much research on the treatment of paranoia has involved cognitive-behavioural interventions that address explicit social cognition processes. However, much of human cognition is preverbal or implicit, raising the possibility that such social judgements are implicated in paranoia. One type of implicit social cognition that has been investigated concerning paranoia is implicit self-esteem with some evidence that it may be possible to change implicit self-esteem using techniques based on conditioning theory.

The Common Structure of the Major Psychoses: More Similarities Than Differences in the Network Structures of Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, and Psychotic Bipolar Disorder.

Background And Hypothesis: There has been a century-long debate about whether the major psychoses (eg, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder) are one disorder with various manifestations or different disease entities. Traditional approaches using dimensional models have not provided decisive findings. Here, we address this question by examining the network constellation of affective and psychotic syndromes.

Cognitive behavioral self-help interventions for individuals experiencing psychosis: a systematic review.

Little is known about the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) specific self-help for psychosis, given that CBT is a highly recommended treatment for psychosis. Thus, research has grown regarding CBT-specific self-help for psychosis, warranting an overall review of the literature. A systematic literature review was conducted, following a published protocol which can be found at: https://www.

Psychological distress, wellbeing and resilience: modelling adolescent mental health profiles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There has been concern about adolescent mental health during the pandemic. The current study examined adolescent mental health during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Using indicator of psychological distress, wellbeing and resilience, latent profile analysis was used to identify homogeneous mental health groups among young people aged 13-24 (N = 1971).

The correlation between conspiracy mentality and vaccine intentions is moderated by social events: Evidence from longitudinal data during COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

Social events may provide important cues that influence the sense of reality, including the perception that conspiracy theories are plausible. Using longitudinal panel data collected in the UK from March 2020 to December 2021, this study aims to identify whether social events influenced the strength of the association between conspiracy mentality and vaccine intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consistent with previous research, the conspiracy mentality was a significant predictor of vaccine intentions across three-time points, but also that conspiracy mentality measured in March 2020 predicted that participants were more hesitant to the vaccines in December 2020.

Ethnic density and first episode psychosis in the British Pakistani population: findings from the East Lancashire Early Intervention Service.

Background: Elevated risk of psychosis for ethnic minority groups has generally been shown to be mitigated by high ethnic density. However, past survey studies examining UK Pakistani populations have shown an absence of protective ethnic density effects, which is not observed in other South Asian groups.

Aims: To assess the ethnic density effect at a local neighbourhood level, in the UK Pakistani population in East Lancashire.

Social identity, mental health and the experience of migration.

Evidence suggests that social identities, which provide purpose and a sense of belonging, enhance resilience against psychological strain and safeguard well-being. This applies to first-generation migrant populations facing adverse experiences, including prejudice and disconnection from previous identities during host country integration, negatively impacting their well-being. The importance of social identity also extends to first-generation migrant descendants, confronting dual-identity challenges and experiencing exclusion and discrimination despite being native born.

Daydreaming and grandiose delusions: development of the Qualities of Daydreaming Scale.

Background: Daydreaming may contribute to the maintenance of grandiose delusions. Repeated, pleasant and vivid daydreams about the content of grandiose delusions may keep the ideas in mind, elaborate the details, and increase the degree of conviction in the delusion. Pleasant daydreams more generally could contribute to elevated mood, which may influence the delusion content.

The network structure of psychopathological and resilient responses to the pandemic: A multicountry general population study of depression and anxiety.

Commonly identified patterns of psychological distress in response to adverse events are characterized by resilience (i.e., little to no distress), delayed (i.

Trauma-focused therapy in early psychosis: results of a feasibility randomized controlled trial of EMDR for psychosis (EMDRp) in early intervention settings.

Background: Trauma is prevalent amongst early psychosis patients and associated with adverse outcomes. Past trials of trauma-focused therapy have focused on chronic patients with psychosis/schizophrenia and comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We aimed to determine the feasibility of a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for psychosis (EMDRp) intervention for early psychosis service users.

Delusions and the dilemmas of life: A systematic review and meta-analyses of the global literature on the prevalence of delusional themes in clinical groups.

We investigated the prevalence of persecutory, grandiose, reference, control, and religious delusions in adult clinical populations worldwide and whether they differed according to country characteristics or age, gender, or year of publication. 123 studies met inclusion criteria, across 30 countries; 102 (115 samples, n = 20,979) were included in the main random-effects meta-analysis of studies measuring multiple delusional themes (21 in a separate analysis of studies in recording a single theme). Persecutory delusions were most common (pooled point estimate: 64.

Predicting resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom: Cross-sectional and longitudinal results.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the psychological wellbeing of some people, there is evidence that many have been much less affected. The Ecological Model of Resilience (EMR) may explain why some individuals are not resilient whilst others are. In this study we test the EMR in a comparison of UK survey data collected from the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) longitudinal study of a representative sample of the United Kingdom (UK) adult population and data from an Italian arm of the study.

Functioning, symptom expression and risk along the psychosis continuum.

Background: The psychosis continuum implies that subclinical psychotic experiences (PEs) can be differentiated from clinically relevant expressions since they are not accompanied by a 'need for care'.

Methods: Using data from Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC; = 34 653), the current study examined variation in functioning, symptomology and aetiological risk across the psychosis phenotype [i.e.

Symptoms and levels of ICD-11 Prolonged Grief Disorder in a representative community sample of UK adults.

Background: Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is a new disorder included in ICD-11 (WHO, 2018). There is a growing body of literature surrounding the prevalence and correlates of ICD-11 PGD symptoms as assessed using various measures. This study was the first to assess levels of ICD-11 PGD symptoms as measured by the International Prolonged Grief Disorder Scale (IPGDS), a self-report scale directly aligned with the ICD-11 definition of PGD, among the United Kingdom adult general population, and identify correlates.

The Difficulties of Grandiose Delusions: Harms, Challenges, and Implications for Treatment Engagement.

Background And Hypothesis: Grandiose delusions may entail difficult responsibilities and detrimental actions for patients. Recognition of these consequences by patients may provide an avenue for engagement in treatment. Furthermore, when patients carry out actions within the delusional system ("immersion behaviors") or spend considerable time thinking about their grandiose beliefs this may contribute to the persistence of the grandiosity and further harmful consequences.

Increased social identification is linked with lower depressive and anxiety symptoms among ethnic minorities and migrants: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Evidence suggests that social identities, which provide purpose and a sense of belonging to the social world, promote resilience against psychological strain and protect well-being. This is especially important in ethnic minorities, who experience exclusion and discrimination from the majority group, and in migrant populations where adverse experiences, such as prejudice, disconnection from previous identities and issues of integration into the host country, negatively impact well-being. Drawing from the social identity theory, a meta-analysis was conducted examining the influence of group memberships and sense of belonging on ethnic minority and migrant mental health (depression and anxiety).

Paranoid beliefs and conspiracy mentality are associated with different forms of mistrust: A three-nation study.

Paranoia and conspiracy are terms typically used interchangeably. However, although the underlying content of these types of beliefs might be similar (e.g.

Belongingness challenged: Exploring the impact on older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: The sense of belonging is a fundamental human need. Enacting it through face-to-face social activities was no longer possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we investigate how the sense of belonging, and how it is enacted, changed longitudinally amongst older adults in the UK.

Is Protecting Older Adults from COVID-19 Ageism? A Comparative Cross-cultural Constructive Grounded Theory from the United Kingdom and Colombia.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted people's lives all over the world, requiring health and safety measures intended to stop the virus from spreading. This study explores whether an unintended consequence of these measures is a new form of ageism. We explore, using qualitative methods, the experiences of older adults living through the pandemic in the United Kingdom and Colombia.

An 18-month follow-up of the Covid-19 psychology research consortium study panel: Survey design and fieldwork procedures for Wave 6.

Objectives: Established in March 2020, the C19PRC Study monitors the psychological and socio-economic impact of the pandemic in the UK and other countries. This paper describes the protocol for Wave 6 (August-September 2021).

Methods: The survey assessed: COVID-19 related experiences; experiences of common mental health disorders; psychological characteristics; and social and political attitudes.

The development and initial validation of self-report measures of ICD-11 depressive episode and generalized anxiety disorder: The International Depression Questionnaire (IDQ) and the International Anxiety Questionnaire (IAQ).

Background: The new International Classification of Diseases came into effect in 2022 (ICD-11; World Health Organization, 2022) and included updated descriptions and diagnostic rules for "Depressive Episode" and "Generalized Anxiety Disorder." No self-report measures align with these disorders so this study reports the development and initial validation of the "International Depression Questionnaire" (IDQ) and "International Anxiety Questionnaire" (IAQ).

Methods: Items were developed that aligned to the ICD-11 descriptions and their performance was assessed using data from a community sample (N = 2058) that was representative of the United Kingdom adult population.

Perceived manageability of debt and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A UK population analysis.

Objectives: This study examined the association between perceived manageability of debt and risk of depression, anxiety, and mental health help-seeking among a nationally representative sample of adults living in the United Kingdom (UK).

Methods: Data was derived from the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study Wave 6 (August/September 2021) which examined the psychological, social, and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the UK adult population. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between different levels of perceived debt manageability (i.

Perceived Discrimination and Mental Health: The Role of Immigrant Social Connectedness during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 public health emergency has led to changes in people's attitudes towards minority groups, increasing prejudice and discriminatory behaviors, especially towards migrants. These prejudicial attitudes and discrimination negatively influence migrants' mental health increasing anxiety and depression and loneliness. However, the sense of belonging can be beneficial in mitigating these mental health issues especially in adverse social situations.