Developmental pathway to paranoia is mediated by negative self-concept and experiential avoidance

Alisa Udachina and Richard P. Bentall

Psychosis, 2014, vol. 6, issue 2, 143-154

Abstract: The study investigated the role of early interactions with parents in the paranoid process. Student participants (N = 302) completed questionnaires measuring parental style, emotional invalidation, attachment, self-esteem, experiential avoidance (EA) and paranoia. Analyses using structural equation modelling confirmed a model in which cold and overprotective parenting was associated with insecure attachment and negative self-views. Childhood emotional invalidation, including punishment, belittlement, and distress on the part of the parents in response to children’s displays of negative emotions predicted EA in later life. Negative self-beliefs and avoidance of negative mental states, in turn, predicted paranoid ideation. In line with previous research, our data suggest that suboptimal parenting fosters paranoid thinking later in life. Our findings are also consistent with the idea that paranoia arises as a result of dysfunctional attempts to maintain a positive view of the self.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1080/17522439.2013.810301

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