Udachina, A., Bentall, R.P., Varese, F. et al. (1 more author) (2017) Stress sensitivity in paranoia: poor-me paranoia protects against the unpleasant effects of social stress. Psychological Medicine, 47 (16). ISSN 0033-2917
Abstract
Background: The attributional theory of paranoia suggests that paranoid beliefs may protect individuals from low self-esteem and distress (Bentall et al., 2001). The current study tested this theory by investigating a hypothesis that paranoid beliefs in combination with low perceived deservedness of persecution (poor-me beliefs) confer protection against the distress caused by social but not activity related stress.
Methods. Paranoid symptoms, perceived deservedness of persecution, self-esteem, mood, and stress levels of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (N=91) and healthy controls (N=52) were assessed in the context of daily life using the experience sampling method.
Results. Individuals holding poor-me beliefs (poor-me individuals) showed blunted sensitivity to social but not activity stress. In contrast, individuals holding paranoid beliefs in combination with high perceived deservedness of persecution (bad-me individuals) showed heightened sensitivity to social stress. No consistent differences in reactions to activity stress emerged. Although both poor-me and bad-me individuals reported low self-esteem, this disturbance was particularly characteristic of bad-me individuals.
Conclusions. The results suggest that poor-me paranoid beliefs may protect individuals against the distress associated with unpleasant social situations. The specificity of reactions to social stress is discussed in the context of wider literature. Future directions for research are suggested.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 Cambridge University Press . This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Psychological Medicine. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | deservedness; experience sampling; paranoia; psychosis; schizophrenia; stress sensitivity |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 19 May 2017 14:55 |
Last Modified: | 18 Aug 2023 10:07 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1017/S0033291717001362 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:116595 |