title: Perceived ethnic discrimination and persecutory paranoia in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis.
abstract: Despite a consensus that psychosocial adversity plays a role in the onset of psychosis, the nature of this role in relation to persecutory paranoia remains unclear. This study examined the complex relationship between perceived ethnic discrimination and paranoid ideation in individuals at Ultra High Risk (UHR) for psychosis using a virtual reality paradigm to objectively measure paranoia. Data from 64 UHR participants and 43 healthy volunteers were analysed to investigate the relationship between perceived ethnic discrimination and persecutory ideation in a virtual reality environment. Perceived ethnic discrimination was higher in young adults at UHR in comparison to healthy controls. A positive correlation was observed between perceived ethnic discrimination and paranoid persecutory ideation in the whole sample. Perceived ethnic discrimination was not a significant predictor of paranoid persecutory ideation in the VR environment. Elevated levels of perceived ethnic discrimination are present in individuals at UHR and are consistent with current biopsychosocial models in which psychosocial adversity plays a key role in the development of psychosis and attenuated symptomatology.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom; North East London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: madiha.shaikh@nelft.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Madiha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shaikh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Lyn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ellett
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anirban
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dutt
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Fern
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Day
authors.affiliation: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laing
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jasmine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kroll
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petrella
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Lucia R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Valmaggia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010259:Paranoid Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Paranoia; Perceived ethnic discrimination; Prodrome; Psychosis; Psychosocial; Schizophrenia; Ultra high risk; Virtual reality