Associations between childhood trauma, bullying and psychotic symptoms among a school-based adolescent sample.
BACKGROUND
Children and adolescents who report psychotic symptoms appear to be at increased risk for psychotic disorders in adulthood - a putative ;symptomatic' high-risk group. However, little research has investigated whether those in this high-risk population have increased rates of exposure to traumatic events in childhood, as seen in patients who have a psychotic illness.


OBJECTIVE
To examine whether adolescents with psychotic symptoms have an increased rate of traumatic experiences.


METHODS
Psychiatric interviews were carried out with 211 adolescents aged between 12 and 15 years and their parents as part of a population-based study. The interview enquired about a number of early traumatic events including physical and sexual abuse, exposure to domestic violence and bullying.


RESULTS
Fourteen adolescents (6.6% of those interviewed) reported experiencing at least one psychotic symptom. Adolescents who reported psychotic symptoms were significantly more likely to have been physically abused in childhood, to have been exposed to domestic violence and to be identified as a bully/victim (that is, both a perpetrator and victim of bullying) than those who did not report such symptoms. These findings were not confounded by comorbid psychiatric illness or family history of psychiatric history.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that childhood trauma may increase the risk of psychotic experiences. The characteristics of bully/victims deserve further study.
Kelleher
Ian
I
Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.
Harley
Michelle
M
Lynch
Fionnuala
F
Arseneault
Louise
L
Fitzpatrick
Carol
C
Cannon
Mary
M
D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology