Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-skm99 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T15:23:57.741Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Psychotic experiences and hyper-theory-of-mind in preadolescence – a birth cohort study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2015

L. Clemmensen ,
J. van Os ,
M. Drukker ,
A. Munkholm ,
M. K. Rimvall ,
M. Væver ,
C. U. Rask ,
A. A. Bartels-Velthuis ,
A. M. Skovgaard  and
P. Jeppesen
L. Clemmensen*
Affiliation:
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Mental Health Services, the Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark
J. van Os
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
M. Drukker
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
A. Munkholm
Affiliation:
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Mental Health Services, the Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark
M. K. Rimvall
Affiliation:
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Mental Health Services, the Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark
M. Væver
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
C. U. Rask
Affiliation:
The Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Center Risskov, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
A. A. Bartels-Velthuis
Affiliation:
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, University Center for Psychiatry, Groningen, The Netherlands
A. M. Skovgaard
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
P. Jeppesen
Affiliation:
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Mental Health Services, the Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark
*
*Address for correspondence: L. Clemmensen, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Mental Health Services, the Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark. (Email: lars.clemmensen@regionh.dk)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background.

Knowledge on the risk mechanisms of psychotic experiences (PE) is still limited. The aim of this population-based study was to explore developmental markers of PE with a particular focus on the specificity of hyper-theory-of-mind (HyperToM) as correlate of PE as opposed to correlate of any mental disorder.

Method.

We assessed 1630 children from the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 regarding PE and HyperToM at the follow-up at 11–12 years. Mental disorders were diagnosed by clinical ratings based on standardized parent-, teacher- and self-reported psychopathology. Logistic regression analyses were performed to test the correlates of PE and HyperToM, and the specificity of correlates of PE v. correlates of any Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) mental disorder.

Results.

Univariate analyses showed the following correlates of PE: familial psychiatric liability; parental mental illness during early child development; change in family composition; low family income; regulatory problems in infancy; onset of puberty; bullying; concurrent mental disorder; and HyperToM. When estimating the adjusted effects, only low family income, concurrent mental disorder, bullying and HyperToM remained significantly associated with PE. Further analyses of the specificity of these correlates with regard to outcome revealed that HyperToM was the only variable specifically associated with PE without concurrent mental disorder. Finally, HyperToM did not share any of the investigated precursors with PE.

Conclusions.

HyperToM may have a specific role in the risk trajectories of PE, being specifically associated with PE in preadolescent children, independently of other family and child risk factors associated with PE and overall psychopathology at this age.

Keywords

Childrendevelopmental psychopathologyepidemiologypsychosistheory-of-mind
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 46 , Issue 1 , January 2016 , pp. 87 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abu-Akel, A (1999). Impaired theory of mind in schizophrenia. Pragmatics and Cognition 7, 247–282.Google Scholar
Abu-Akel, A (2003). The neurochemical hypothesis of ‘theory of mind‘. Medical Hypotheses 60, 382–386.Google Scholar
Abu-Akel, A, Bailey, AL (2000). The possibility of different forms of theory of mind impairment in psychiatric and developmental disorders. Psychological Medicine 30, 735–738.Google Scholar
Achim, AM, Maziade, M, Raymond, E, Olivier, D, Merette, C, Roy, MA (2011). How prevalent are anxiety disorders in schizophrenia? A meta-analysis and critical review on a significant association. Schizophrenia Bulletin 37, 811–821.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Altman, DG, Gardner, MJ (1991). Confidence in confidence intervals. Alcohol and Alcoholism 26, 481–482.Google Scholar
Badcock, C (2011). The imprinted brain: how genes set the balance between autism and psychosis. Epigenomics 3, 345–359.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barragan, M, Laurens, KR, Navarro, JB, Obiols, JE (2011). ‘Theory of mind’, psychotic-like experiences and psychometric schizotypy in adolescents from the general population. Psychiatry Research 186, 225–231.Google Scholar
Bartels-Velthuis, AA, Blijd-Hoogewys, EM, van Os, J (2011). Better theory-of-mind skills in children hearing voices mitigate the risk of secondary delusion formation. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 124, 193–197.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blakemore, SJ, Sarfati, Y, Bazin, N, Decety, J (2003). The detection of intentional contingencies in simple animations in patients with delusions of persecution. Psychological Medicine 33, 1433–1441.Google Scholar
Blijd-Hoogewys, E, Bartels-Velthuis, AA (2007). ToM Storybook Frank: a Theory-of-Mind Task for 10–14 Year Old Children. University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen: Groningen.Google Scholar
Blijd-Hoogewys, EM, van Geert, PL, Serra, M, Minderaa, RB (2008). Measuring theory of mind in children. Psychometric properties of the ToM storybooks. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 38, 1907–1930.Google Scholar
Bosco, FM, Colle, L, De Fazio, S, Bono, A, Ruberti, S, Tirassa, M (2009). Th.o.m.a.s.: an exploratory assessment of theory of mind in schizophrenic subjects. Consciousness and Cognition 18, 306–319.Google Scholar
Boyle, CA, Boulet, S, Schieve, LA, Cohen, RA, Blumberg, SJ, Yeargin-Allsopp, M, Visser, S, Kogan, MD (2011). Trends in the prevalence of developmental disabilities in US children, 1997–2008. Pediatrics 127, 1034–1042.Google Scholar
Brune, M (2005). Emotion recognition, ‘theory of mind,’ and social behavior in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research 133, 135–147.Google Scholar
Buckley, PF, Miller, BJ, Lehrer, DS, Castle, DJ (2009). Psychiatric comorbidities and schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin 35, 383–402.Google Scholar
Bulgarelli, D, Testa, S, Molina, P (2015). Factorial structure of the ‘ToM Storybooks’: a test evaluating multiple components of theory of mind. British Journal of Developmental Psychology 33, 187–202.Google Scholar
Cannon, M, Caspi, A, Moffitt, TE, Harrington, H, Taylor, A, Murray, RM, Poulton, R (2002). Evidence for early-childhood, pan-developmental impairment specific to schizophreniform disorder: results from a longitudinal birth cohort. Archives of General Psychiatry 59, 449–456.Google Scholar
Ciaramidaro, A, Bolte, S, Schlitt, S, Hainz, D, Poustka, F, Weber, B, Bara, BG, Freitag, C, Walter, H (2015). Schizophrenia and autism as contrasting minds: neural evidence for the hypo–hyper-intentionality hypothesis. Schizophrenia Bulletin 41, 171–179.Google Scholar
Clemmensen, L, van Os, J, Skovgaard, AM, Vaever, M, Blijd-Hoogewys, EM, Bartels-Velthuis, AA, Jeppesen, P (2014). Hyper-theory-of-mind in children with psychotic experiences. PLOS ONE 9, e113082.Google Scholar
Coleman, L, Coleman, J (2002). The measurement of puberty: a review. Journal of Adolescence 25, 535–550.Google Scholar
Cougnard, A, Marcelis, M, Myin-Germeys, I, De Graaf, R, Vollebergh, W, Krabbendam, L, Lieb, R, Wittchen, HU, Henquet, C, Spauwen, J, Van Os, J (2007). Does normal developmental expression of psychosis combine with environmental risk to cause persistence of psychosis? A psychosis proneness–persistence model. Psychological Medicine 37, 513–527.Google Scholar
Couture, SM, Penn, DL, Roberts, DL (2006). The functional significance of social cognition in schizophrenia: a review. Schizophrenia Bulletin 32 (Suppl. 1), S44–S63.Google Scholar
Crespi, B, Badcock, C (2008). Psychosis and autism as diametrical disorders of the social brain. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 31, 241–261; discussion 261–320.Google Scholar
Fretland, RA, Andersson, S, Sundet, K, Andreassen, OA, Melle, I, Vaskinn, A (2015). Theory of mind in schizophrenia: error types and associations with symptoms. Schizophrenia Research 162, 42–46.Google Scholar
Frith, CD (1992). Consciousness, information processing and the brain. Journal of Psychopharmacology 6, 436–440.Google Scholar
Frith, CD (2004). Schizophrenia and theory of mind. Psychological Medicine 34, 385–389.Google Scholar
Fusar-Poli, P, Yung, AR, McGorry, P, van Os, J (2014). Lessons learned from the psychosis high-risk state: towards a general staging model of prodromal intervention. Psychological Medicine 44, 17–24.Google Scholar
Fyfe, S, Williams, C, Mason, OJ, Pickup, GJ (2008). Apophenia, theory of mind and schizotypy: perceiving meaning and intentionality in randomness. Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior 44, 1316–1325.Google Scholar
Goldberg, S, Fruchter, E, Davidson, M, Reichenberg, A, Yoffe, R, Weiser, M (2011). The relationship between risk of hospitalization for schizophrenia, SES, and cognitive functioning. Schizophrenia Bulletin 37, 664–670.Google Scholar
Goodman, R (1999). The extended version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as a guide to child psychiatric caseness and consequent burden. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 40, 791–799.Google Scholar
Goodman, R (2001). Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 40, 1337–1345.Google Scholar
Goodman, R, Ford, T, Richards, H, Gatward, R, Meltzer, H (2000). The Development and Well-Being Assessment: description and initial validation of an integrated assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 41, 645–655.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gothwal, VK, Sumalini, R, Irfan, SM, Giridhar, A, Bharani, S (2013). Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire: evaluation in visually impaired. Optometry and Vision Science: Official Publication of the American Academy of Optometry 90, 828–835.Google Scholar
Hamilton, A, Wolpert, D, Frith, U (2004). Your own action influences how you perceive another person's action. Current Biology: CB 14, 493–498.Google Scholar
Horwood, J, Salvi, G, Thomas, K, Duffy, L, Gunnell, D, Hollis, C, Lewis, G, Menezes, P, Thompson, A, Wolke, D, Zammit, S, Harrison, G (2008). IQ and non-clinical psychotic symptoms in 12-year-olds: results from the ALSPAC birth cohort. British Journal of Psychiatry 193, 185–191.Google Scholar
Hughes, C, Jaffee, SR, Happe, F, Taylor, A, Caspi, A, Moffitt, TE (2005). Origins of individual differences in theory of mind: from nature to nurture? Child Development 76, 356–370.Google Scholar
Jeppesen, P, Clemmensen, L, Munkholm, A, Rimvall, MK, Rask, CU, Jorgensen, T, Larsen, JT, Petersen, L, van Os, J, Skovgaard, AM (2015a). Psychotic experiences co-occur with sleep problems, negative affect and mental disorders in preadolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines 56, 558–565.Google Scholar
Jeppesen, P, Larsen, JT, Clemmensen, L, Munkholm, A, Rimvall, MK, Rask, CU, van Os, J, Petersen, L, Skovgaard, AM (2015b). The CCC2000 birth cohort study of register-based family history of mental disorders and psychotic experiences in offspring. Schizophrenia Bulletin 41, 1084–1094.Google Scholar
Johns, LC, Cannon, M, Singleton, N, Murray, RM, Farrell, M, Brugha, T, Bebbington, P, Jenkins, R, Meltzer, H (2004). Prevalence and correlates of self-reported psychotic symptoms in the British population. British Journal of Psychiatry: the Journal of Mental Science 185, 298–305.Google Scholar
Kana, RK, Liu, Y, Williams, DL, Keller, TA, Schipul, SE, Minshew, NJ, Just, MA (2013). The local, global, and neural aspects of visuospatial processing in autism spectrum disorders. Neuropsychologia 51, 2995–3003.Google Scholar
Kaufman, J, Birmaher, B, Brent, D, Rao, U, Flynn, C, Moreci, P, Williamson, D, Ryan, N (1997). Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-age Children – Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL): initial reliability and validity data. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 36, 980–988.Google Scholar
Kaymaz, N, Drukker, M, Lieb, R, Wittchen, HU, Werbeloff, N, Weiser, M, Lataster, T, van Os, J (2012). Do subthreshold psychotic experiences predict clinical outcomes in unselected non-help-seeking population-based samples? A systematic review and meta-analysis, enriched with new results. Psychological Medicine 42, 2239–2253.Google Scholar
Kelleher, I, Harley, M, Lynch, F, Arseneault, L, Fitzpatrick, C, Cannon, M (2008). Associations between childhood trauma, bullying and psychotic symptoms among a school-based adolescent sample. British Journal of Psychiatry 193, 378–382.Google Scholar
Kelleher, I, Cannon, M (2011). Psychotic-like experiences in the general population: characterizing a high-risk group for psychosis. Psychological Medicine 41, 1–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kelleher, I, Connor, D, Clarke, MC, Devlin, N, Harley, M, Cannon, M (2012). Prevalence of psychotic symptoms in childhood and adolescence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based studies. Psychological Medicine 42, 1857–1863.Google Scholar
Khandaker, GM, Barnett, JH, White, IR, Jones, PB (2011). A quantitative meta-analysis of population-based studies of premorbid intelligence and schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research 132, 220–227.Google Scholar
Khandaker, GM, Stochl, J, Zammit, S, Lewis, G, Jones, PB (2014). A population-based longitudinal study of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, IQ and subsequent risk of psychotic experiences in adolescence. Psychological Medicine 44, 3229–3238.Google Scholar
Korver-Nieberg, N, Fett, AK, Meijer, CJ, Koeter, MW, Shergill, SS, de Haan, L, Krabbendam, L (2013). Theory of mind, insecure attachment and paranoia in adolescents with early psychosis and healthy controls. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 47, 737–745.Google Scholar
Kounali, D, Zammit, S, Wiles, N, Sullivan, S, Cannon, M, Stochl, J, Jones, P, Mahedy, L, Gage, SH, Heron, J, Lewis, G (2014). Common versus psychopathology-specific risk factors for psychotic experiences and depression during adolescence. Psychological Medicine 44, 2557–2566.Google Scholar
Kowalski, RM, Limber, SP (2007). Electronic bullying among middle school students. Journal of Adolescent Health: Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 41, S22–S30.Google Scholar
Langdon, R, Ward, PB, Coltheart, M (2010). Reasoning anomalies associated with delusions in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin 36, 321–330.Google Scholar
Lardinois, M, Lataster, T, Mengelers, R, Van Os, J, Myin-Germeys, I (2011). Childhood trauma and increased stress sensitivity in psychosis. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 123, 28–35.Google Scholar
Lataster, T, van Os, J, Drukker, M, Henquet, C, Feron, F, Gunther, N, Myin-Germeys, I (2006). Childhood victimisation and developmental expression of non-clinical delusional ideation and hallucinatory experiences. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 41, 423–428.Google Scholar
Linscott, RJ, Van Os, J (2013). An updated and conservative systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological evidence on psychotic experiences in children and adults: on the pathway from proneness to persistence to dimensional expression across mental disorders. Psychological Medicine 43, 1133–1149.Google Scholar
Marothi, R, Keri, S (2014). Intuitive physics and intuitive psychology (“theory of mind”) in offspring of mothers with psychoses. PeerJ 2, e330.Google Scholar
Montag, C, Dziobek, I, Richter, IS, Neuhaus, K, Lehmann, A, Sylla, R, Heekeren, HR, Heinz, A, Gallinat, J (2011). Different aspects of theory of mind in paranoid schizophrenia: evidence from a video-based assessment. Psychiatry Research 186, 203–209.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Montag, C, Neuhaus, K, Lehmann, A, Kruger, K, Dziobek, I, Heekeren, HR, Heinz, A, Gallinat, J (2012). Subtle deficits of cognitive theory of mind in unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 262, 217–226.Google Scholar
Mortensen, PB, Pedersen, MG, Pedersen, CB (2010). Psychiatric family history and schizophrenia risk in Denmark: which mental disorders are relevant? Psychological Medicine 40, 201–210.Google Scholar
Nishida, A, Tanii, H, Nishimura, Y, Kajiki, N, Inoue, K, Okada, M, Sasaki, T, Okazaki, Y (2008). Associations between psychotic-like experiences and mental health status and other psychopathologies among Japanese early teens. Schizophrenia Research 99, 125–133.Google Scholar
Olsen, EM, Skovgaard, AM, Weile, B, Jorgensen, T (2007). Risk factors for failure to thrive in infancy depend on the anthropometric definitions used: the Copenhagen County Child Cohort. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 21, 418–431.Google Scholar
Palmier-Claus, JE, Dunn, G, Lewis, SW (2012). Emotional and symptomatic reactivity to stress in individuals at ultra-high risk of developing psychosis. Psychological Medicine 42, 1003–1012.Google Scholar
Peyroux, E, Strickland, B, Tapiero, I, Franck, N (2014). The intentionality bias in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research 219, 426–430.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Polanczyk, G, Moffitt, TE, Arseneault, L, Cannon, M, Ambler, A, Keefe, RS, Houts, R, Odgers, CL, Caspi, A (2010). Etiological and clinical features of childhood psychotic symptoms: results from a birth cohort. Archives of General Psychiatry 67, 328–338.Google Scholar
Poulton, R, Caspi, A, Moffitt, TE, Cannon, M, Murray, R, Harrington, H (2000). Children's self-reported psychotic symptoms and adult schizophreniform disorder: a 15-year longitudinal study. Archives of General Psychiatry 57, 1053–1058.Google Scholar
Prifitera, A, Saklofske, DH (editors) (1998). WISC-III Clinical Use and Interpretation: Scientist-Practitioner Perspectives. Elsevier: San Diego, CA.Google Scholar
Russell, TA, Reynaud, E, Herba, C, Morris, R, Corcoran, R (2006). Do you see what I see? Interpretations of intentional movement in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research 81, 101–111.Google Scholar
Sareen, J, Afifi, TO, McMillan, KA, Asmundson, GJ (2011). Relationship between household income and mental disorders: findings from a population-based longitudinal study. Archives of General Psychiatry 68, 419–427.Google Scholar
Schreier, A, Wolke, D, Thomas, K, Horwood, J, Hollis, C, Gunnell, D, Lewis, G, Thompson, A, Zammit, S, Duffy, L, Salvi, G, Harrison, G (2009). Prospective study of peer victimization in childhood and psychotic symptoms in a nonclinical population at age 12 years. Archives of General Psychiatry 66, 527–536.Google Scholar
Scott, J, Martin, G, Bor, W, Sawyer, M, Clark, J, McGrath, J (2009). The prevalence and correlates of hallucinations in Australian adolescents: results from a national survey. Schizophrenia Research 107, 179–185.Google Scholar
Shamay-Tsoory, SG, Shur, S, Barcai-Goodman, L, Medlovich, S, Harari, H, Levkovitz, Y (2007). Dissociation of cognitive from affective components of theory of mind in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research 149, 11–23.Google Scholar
Sharp, C, Pane, H, Ha, C, Venta, A, Patel, AB, Sturek, J, Fonagy, P (2011). Theory of mind and emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents with borderline traits. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 50, 563–573.e1.Google Scholar
Sharp, C, Venta, A. (2012). Mentalizing problems in children and adolescents. In Minding the Child: Mentalization-Based Interventions with Children, Young People and their Families (ed. Midgley, N. and Vrouva, I.), pp. 35–53. Routledge: London.Google Scholar
Skovgaard, AM, Olsen, EM, Houmann, T, Christiansen, E, Samberg, V, Lichtenberg, A, Jorgensen, T (2005). The Copenhagen County child cohort: design of a longitudinal study of child mental health. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 33, 197–202.Google Scholar
Sprong, M, Schothorst, P, Vos, E, Hox, J, van Engeland, H (2007). Theory of mind in schizophrenia: meta-analysis. British Journal of Psychiatry: the Journal of Mental Science 191, 5–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Os, J, Jones, P, Sham, P, Bebbington, P, Murray, RM (1998). Risk factors for onset and persistence of psychosis. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 33, 596–605.Google Scholar
van Os, J, Linscott, RJ, Myin-Germeys, I, Delespaul, P, Krabbendam, L (2009). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the psychosis continuum: evidence for a psychosis proneness–persistence–impairment model of psychotic disorder. Psychological Medicine 39, 179–195.Google Scholar
Versmissen, D, Janssen, I, Myin-Germeys, I, Mengelers, R, Campo, JA, van, OJ, Krabbendam, L (2008). Evidence for a relationship between mentalising deficits and paranoia over the psychosis continuum. Schizophrenia Research 99, 103–110.Google Scholar
Wigman, JT, van Nierop, M, Vollebergh, WA, Lieb, R, Beesdo-Baum, K, Wittchen, HU, van Os, J (2012). Evidence that psychotic symptoms are prevalent in disorders of anxiety and depression, impacting on illness onset, risk, and severity – implications for diagnosis and ultra-high risk research. Schizophrenia Bulletin 38, 247–257.Google Scholar
Woodberry, KA, Giuliano, AJ, Seidman, LJ (2008). Premorbid IQ in schizophrenia: a meta-analytic review. American Journal of Psychiatry 165, 579–587.Google Scholar