Aberrant Salience and Disorganized Symptoms as Mediators of Psychosis
Celia Ceballos-munuera, Cristina Senín‐calderón, Sandra Fernández-león, S. Fuentes-márquez, Juan Francisco Rodríguez Testal
Frontiers in Psychology April 12, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.878331 via OpenAlex 3 citations
Summary
Ideas of reference (IR) are common in psychotic disorders, and their frequency and associated preoccupation relate to the psychotic dimension. Aberrant salience (AS) is considered an early indicator of psychosis. This study tested whether AS and disorganized symptoms mediate the link between IR and the psychotic dimension. In 330 participants (116 university students, 214 patients; 62.4% women, ages 18–79), a partial mediation model showed that AS and the disorganized dimension jointly mediated the relationship between IR and the psychotic dimension, while preoccupation about IR no longer played a role. Age significantly influenced this relationship. The model explained 54.16% of the variance in the psychotic dimension. Findings suggest that unusual thought content may predict proneness to psychosis, with implications for early detection and prevention.
Study at a glance
| Design | cross-sectional mediation analysis |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 330 |
| Population | university students and clinically active patients |
| Key finding | Aberrant salience and disorganized symptoms jointly mediate the relationship between ideas of reference and the psychotic dimension, with preoccupation about IR no longer playing a role. |
Abstract
Introduction: Ideas of reference (IR) are frequent in psychopathology, mainly in psychotic disorders. The frequency of IR and preoccupation about them are related to the psychotic dimension, and to a lesser extent, to negative or emotional disorganized dimensions. Aberrant salience (AS), has been proposed as an indicator of the onset of psychosis, particularly of schizophrenia. This study analyzed the mediating role of AS, disorganized symptoms and preoccupation about IR in the relationship between IR and the psychotic dimension. Method: The sample consisted of 330 participants (116 university students and 214 clinically active patients), 62.4% of whom were women aged 18-79. The Referential Thinking Scale, the Aberrant Salience Inventory, and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale were administered. Results: Evidence of a partial mediation model showed that the relationships between IR and the psychotic dimension were mediated jointly by AS and the disorganized dimension, and preoccupation about IR no longer had a role. This relationship was significantly influenced by participant age. The variables in the model explained 54.16% of the variance. Conclusion: The model proposed enabled a set of vulnerabilities (unusual thought content) to be predicted that could lead to a high-risk general pathological state and proneness to psychosis in particular. These findings are discussed with regard to early detection and prevention of psychosis.