Jinn-possession with psychosis, childhood traumatic experiences, and dissociation; a comparison with schizophrenia in the Southeastern region of Türkiye.

Patients diagnosed with jinn-possession psychosis (JPP) in southeastern Turkey report higher levels of childhood trauma and dissociation than patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. The study compared 42 people with JPP and 42 with schizophrenia. Those with JPP scored higher on physical abuse, emotional neglect, sexual abuse, and physical neglect. Schizophrenia patients had more negative symptoms, but positive symptoms did not differ between groups. Dissociation and total childhood trauma scores were significant predictors of JPP group membership, though only dissociation and total PANSS scores remained independent predictors in a multivariate model. The findings suggest that therapies addressing childhood trauma and culturally specific beliefs, alongside medication, may benefit JPP treatment.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This study is concerned with relationships between childhood trauma history, dissociative experiences, clinical phenomenology of Jinn-Possession Psychosis (JPP), and schizophrenia in an Islamic cultural context. Researchers have contacted local traditional and spiritual healers based in a city in the Southeast region of the Republic of Turkey. Traditional healers have contacted us with patients who had experienced jinn possession. The authors also included schizophrenia patients who were followed up in the hospital and did not have mystical delusions as a control group. The study included 42 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and 42 patients diagnosed with JPP (Psychotic Disorders Not Otherwise Specified). Researchers have assessed participants using the Dissociation Questionnaire (DIS-Q), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Researchers compared two groups. The present study has shown that patients with JPP have higher dissociation and childhood traumatic experiences scores than the schizophrenia group and that the patients with the JPP group yielded elevated physical abuse, emotional neglect, sexual abuse, and physical neglect scores as compared to the schizophrenia group. As expected, PANSS-negative symptoms were higher in the group diagnosed with schizophrenia. PANSS-positive scores did not differ significantly between the JPP and schizophrenia groups. In the univariate logistic regression analysis, total dissociation, total childhood trauma, and PANSS total scores were significant predictors of belonging to the JPP group. In the multivariate regression model, only total dissociation and PANSS total scores remained significant independent predictors. Additionally, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated that dissociation and childhood trauma scores had strong discriminative ability, although childhood trauma did not remain a significant independent predictor in the multivariate model. The present study showed that the sub-group of patients with high childhood trauma and dissociation scores documented elevated levels of psychotic symptoms. Results show the significance of therapies concentrating on childhood traumatic experiences and culture-based pathologies along with psychopharmacologic approaches in the treatment of JPP.