- London, London, City of, United Kingdom
Oliver Mason
University College London, Psychology, Faculty Member
- D.Phil. University of Oxford.
D.Clin.Psy. University of Bangor, Wales.
BSc. University of York
PG.Dip. University of Birmingham.edit
In einer Studie uber Achtsamkeits-Meditation, wie sie von Teilnehmer(inne)n mit einer Vorgeschichte von Depression praktiziert wird, wurden die Methoden der Grounded Theory und der Protokollanalyse trianguliert. Die Protokollanalyse ist... more
In einer Studie uber Achtsamkeits-Meditation, wie sie von Teilnehmer(inne)n mit einer Vorgeschichte von Depression praktiziert wird, wurden die Methoden der Grounded Theory und der Protokollanalyse trianguliert. Die Protokollanalyse ist eine empirische qualitative Methode (mit einem quantitativen Teil), die fur eine Triangulation mit anderen qualitativen Methoden wie der Grounded Theory bisher noch wenig berucksichtigt wurde. Die Protokollanalyse wurde auf Daten angewendet, die mit Hilfe der Technik des "lauten Denkens" im Rahmen einer Phase einer instruktionsgeleiteten Meditation gewonnen worden waren. Die Reliabilitat eines einfachen Kodiersystems erwies sich als vielversprechend und deutete darauf hin, dass aufgabenbezogene mentale Aktivitaten auf einem einfachen, deskriptiven Niveau kodiert werden konnen. Die Ergebnisse der Protokollanalyse werden im Licht der Kategorien diskutiert, die mit Hilfe der Grounded Theory entwickelt und an anderer Stelle beschrieben wurden. ...
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Various means of inducing unusual or anomalous experiences sharing similarities with psychosis have been proposed. In the present study, an ‘altered states of consciousness induction device’ (ASCID) or ‘witches’ cradle’ was used to... more
Various means of inducing unusual or anomalous experiences sharing similarities with psychosis have been proposed. In the present study, an ‘altered states of consciousness induction device’ (ASCID) or ‘witches’ cradle’ was used to suspend 81 participants for a short duration. The Psychotomimetic States Inventory recorded an increase in a wide variety of experiences following the cradle when compared to baseline. Psychotic-like experiences were predicted by greater positive schizotypal trait scores. Anomalous proprioceptive perceptual input appears to be capable for some individuals of inducing psychotic-like effects over a short time period.
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Existing models of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) suggest that a combination of genetic vulnerability, childhood trauma, and disrupted attachment can lead to the marked emotional lability, impulsivity and interpersonal difficulties... more
Existing models of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) suggest that a combination of genetic vulnerability, childhood trauma, and disrupted attachment can lead to the marked emotional lability, impulsivity and interpersonal difficulties observed clinically. Brain structural differences in frontal, limbic and hippocampal regions have been reported in BPD. Less clear is how specific psychological factors relate to these structural differences, and how consistently this is found across studies. This was the focus of the present review. Eighteen studies published between 2004 and 2018 met inclusion criteria encompassing 990 participants. Study quality was assessed using the Nottingham-Ottawa Scale. We also introduce a newly devised scale to assess MRI reporting quality. The most frequently investigated psychological variable were impulsivity (9 studies), depression (8), trauma (6), aggression (6), severity of symptoms (3), global functioning, abuse and dissociation (2). Study quality varied, however, a trend was observed where newer studies were higher in reporting quality. Impulsivity demonstrated greater association with frontal structures, trauma related to the hypothalamus and limbic systems, and aggression with hippocampal and frontal structures. The present review recommends greater exploration of neurocognitive and psychosis-related features such as delusions, paranoia and voice-hearing in future studies, and to investigate cortical changes in longitudinal designs.
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The association of music with madness is very longstanding. But is it more than myth, and if so what is the nature of this relationship? We tested the hypotheses that musicians possess greater schizotypy and symptoms of bipolar disorder.... more
The association of music with madness is very longstanding. But is it more than myth, and if so what is the nature of this relationship? We tested the hypotheses that musicians possess greater schizotypy and symptoms of bipolar disorder. A total of 102 musicians were found to have greater positive and negative schizotypal traits when compared to matched norms on the shortened Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences. Based on the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, 10.8% of musicians also met criteria for lifetime bipolar disorder. Rock musicians appeared to have greater symptoms than those performing in other musical genres.
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Purpose Football exercise as an intervention for people with severe mental health problems has seen an increasing interest in the past years. To date, there is, however, no comprehensive review of the empirical evidence regarding the... more
Purpose Football exercise as an intervention for people with severe mental health problems has seen an increasing interest in the past years. To date, there is, however, no comprehensive review of the empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of these interventions. In this review, the authors have comprised the research findings from the peer-review literature as well as the theoretical approaches to football exercise as an adjunct treatment. This overview will be informative to everybody who is planning to develop a football intervention for this population as well as to the people who are preparing evaluation studies that measure the effectiveness of such interventions. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The authors identified research papers in the peer-review literature that feature empirical findings on “football interventions” that aim at improving mental and/or physical well-being in participants with mental health problems. The authors ...
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The latent structure of schizotypy and psychosis-spectrum symptoms remains poorly understood. Furthermore, molecular genetic substrates are poorly defined, largely due to the substantial resources required to collect rich phenotypic data... more
The latent structure of schizotypy and psychosis-spectrum symptoms remains poorly understood. Furthermore, molecular genetic substrates are poorly defined, largely due to the substantial resources required to collect rich phenotypic data across diverse populations. Sample sizes of phenotypic studies are often insufficient for advanced structural equation modeling approaches. In the last 50 years, efforts in both psychiatry and psychological science have moved toward (1) a dimensional model of psychopathology (eg, the current Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology [HiTOP] initiative), (2) an integration of methods and measures across traits and units of analysis (eg, the RDoC initiative), and (3) powerful, impactful study designs maximizing sample size to detect subtle genomic variation relating to complex traits (the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium [PGC]). These movements are important to the future study of the psychosis spectrum, and to resolving heterogeneity with respect to in...
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Healthy functioning relies on a variety of perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral abilities that are distributed throughout the normal population. Variation in these traits define the wide range of neurodevelopmental (NDD) and... more
Healthy functioning relies on a variety of perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral abilities that are distributed throughout the normal population. Variation in these traits define the wide range of neurodevelopmental (NDD) and neuropsychiatric (NPD) disorders. Here, we introduce a new measure for assessing these traits in typically developing children and children at risk for NDD and NPD from age 2 to 18 years. The Childhood Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (CO-LIFE) was created as a dimensional, parent-report measure of schizotypal and psychotic traits in the general population. Parents of 2,786 children also self-reported on an adapted version of the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (O-LIFE-US). The CO-LIFE resulted in continuous distributions for the total score and for each of three factor analytically-derived subscales. Item response theory (IRT) analyses indicated strong reliability across the score range for the O-LIFE-US ...
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Crisis Resolution Teams (CRTs) provide short-term intensive home treatment to people experiencing mental health crisis. Trial evidence suggests CRTs can be effective at reducing hospital admissions and increasing satisfaction with acute... more
Crisis Resolution Teams (CRTs) provide short-term intensive home treatment to people experiencing mental health crisis. Trial evidence suggests CRTs can be effective at reducing hospital admissions and increasing satisfaction with acute care. When scaled up to national level however, CRT implementation and outcomes have been variable. We aimed to develop and test a fidelity scale to assess adherence to a model of best practice for CRTs, based on best available evidence. A concept mapping process was used to develop a CRT fidelity scale. Participants (n = 68) from a range of stakeholder groups prioritised and grouped statements (n = 72) about important components of the CRT model, generated from a literature review, national survey and qualitative interviews. These data were analysed using Ariadne software and the resultant cluster solution informed item selection for a CRT fidelity scale. Operational criteria and scoring anchor points were developed for each item. The CORE CRT fidel...
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Disrupted sleep is one of the prominent but often overlooked presenting symptoms in the clinical course of psychotic disorders. The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence of sleep disturbances, particularly insomnia and... more
Disrupted sleep is one of the prominent but often overlooked presenting symptoms in the clinical course of psychotic disorders. The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence of sleep disturbances, particularly insomnia and nightmares, and their prospective associations with the risk of suicide attempts in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. A naturalistic longitudinal study was conducted in outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders recruited from the psychiatric outpatient clinic of a regional university-affiliated public hospital in Hong Kong. A detailed sleep questionnaire was completed by 388 patients at baseline in May-June 2006. Relevant clinical information was extracted from clinical case notes from June 2007-October 2014. Prevalence of frequent insomnia and frequent nightmares was 19% and 9%, respectively. Baseline frequent insomnia was significantly associated with an increased incidence of suicide attempts during the follow-up period (...
Research Interests: Schizophrenia, Risk, Hong Kong, Dreams, Comorbidity, and 15 moreBiological Sciences, Prospective studies, Humans, Female, Male, Sleep, Incidence, Prevalence, Longitudinal Studies, Outpatients, Adult, Attempted Suicide, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences, and Sleep initiation and maintenance disorders
Research Interests: Research Design, Mental Health, Quality Improvement, Medicine, England, and 15 moreCrisis Intervention, Humans, Cluster Analysis, Patient Satisfaction, Mental Disorders, Mental health services, Clinical Sciences, Patient Care Team, Time Factors, Clinical Protocols, Home Care Services, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Surveys and Questionnaires, Delivery of Health Care, and Cardiovascular medicine and haematology
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Several theories promote the similarities between dreaming and psychosis, but this has rarely been tested empirically. We assessed dreaming and waking reality using the Psychotomimetic States Inventory, a measure of psychotic-like... more
Several theories promote the similarities between dreaming and psychosis, but this has rarely been tested empirically. We assessed dreaming and waking reality using the Psychotomimetic States Inventory, a measure of psychotic-like experience originally designed for drug studies. Twenty participants completed the measure in each of two dream conditions and one waking condition. Dreams were assessed upon waking naturally and also using a movement-activated (actigraph) alarm during the night. Overall, participants reported more quasipsychotic characteristics during dreams (in both conditions) than when awake. This was most marked for paranoia and delusional thinking, but differences were also seen for perceptual abnormalities, mania, and anhedonia. The quality of dream experience seems particularly similar to psychosis in sometimes being highly self-referential and having a paranoid content. Subjective changes to cognition and affect are consistent with alterations in prefrontal cortic...
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Research Interests: Medicine and Biological
Cabin air on commercial aircraft is sometimes contaminated with jet engine oils containing organophosphates (OP). Aircrew have complained of chronic ill health and cognitive impairment following exposure to contaminated air, but a debate... more
Cabin air on commercial aircraft is sometimes contaminated with jet engine oils containing organophosphates (OP). Aircrew have complained of chronic ill health and cognitive impairment following exposure to contaminated air, but a debate is ongoing about ...
Research Interests: Medicine and Biological
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Crisis resolution teams (CRTs) can provide effective home-based treatment for acute mental health crises, although critical ingredients of the model have not been clearly identified, and implementation has been inconsistent. In order to... more
Crisis resolution teams (CRTs) can provide effective home-based treatment for acute mental health crises, although critical ingredients of the model have not been clearly identified, and implementation has been inconsistent. In order to inform development of a more highly specified CRT model that meets service users' needs, this study used qualitative methods to investigate stakeholders' experiences and views of CRTs, and what is important in good quality home-based crisis care. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with service users (n = 41), carers (n = 20) and practitioners (CRT staff, managers and referrers; n = 147, 26 focus groups, 9 interviews) in 10 mental health catchment areas in England, and with international CRT developers (n = 11). Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Three domains salient to views about optimal care were identified. 1. The organisation of CRT care: Providing a rapid initial responses, and frequent home visits from ...
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Renaming disorders to change public beliefs and attitudes remains controversial. This study compared the potentially destigmatising effects of renaming schizophrenia with the effects of renaming bipolar disorder by comparing the label... more
Renaming disorders to change public beliefs and attitudes remains controversial. This study compared the potentially destigmatising effects of renaming schizophrenia with the effects of renaming bipolar disorder by comparing the label 'schizophrenia' to 'integration disorder', and 'bipolar disorder' to 'manic depression', in 1621 lay participants. 'Bipolar disorder' was associated with less fear and social distance than 'manic depression'. 'Integration disorder' was associated with increased endorsement of a biopsychosocial cause and reduced attributions of dangerousness but also increased social distance, highlighting the complex effects renaming has on stigma.
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Korsakoff syndrome (KS) is characterized by dense anterograde and retrograde amnesia. There is often a temporal gradient to the retrograde amnesia, with earlier memories more readily recalled than recent memories. Executive functioning... more
Korsakoff syndrome (KS) is characterized by dense anterograde and retrograde amnesia. There is often a temporal gradient to the retrograde amnesia, with earlier memories more readily recalled than recent memories. Executive functioning has also been found to be impaired in KS. However, research comparing executive functioning between chronic alcoholics (AL) and patients with KS has been relatively sparse to date. In a group comparison design, executive functioning in 15 KS patients and 16 chronic alcoholic patients was assessed using the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome test (BADS) and other secondary measures. The KS group was found to be significantly more impaired than the AL group on overall performance on the BADS (p < .05). Korsakoff patients are significantly more impaired in executive functioning than non-Korsakoff chronic alcoholics. We thank the participants of the study and also acknowledge the support of the University of Nottingham, particularly Nadina Lincoln, and the North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We are also very grateful to the anonymous reviewers of earlier drafts of this manuscript for their invaluable comments.
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The heterogeneity of schizotypal traits, suggested in previous research, was further investigated in a sample of subjects (N = 1095) administered a composite questionnaire consisting of a large number of published scales the majority of... more
The heterogeneity of schizotypal traits, suggested in previous research, was further investigated in a sample of subjects (N = 1095) administered a composite questionnaire consisting of a large number of published scales the majority of which were designed to measure psychotic characteristics. Factor analysis confirmed the four components previously indicated in our work with the same instrument; namely, 'aberrant perceptions
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Psychometrics, Schizophrenia, Factor analysis, and 14 moreHumans, Personality Assessment Inventory, Female, Male, Risk factors, Schizotypal Personality Disorder, Middle Aged, Adult, Reproducibility of Results, Psychotic Disorders, Risk Factors, Factor structure, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and Personality Trait
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... 93 Correspondence concerning this article should be sent to Oliver Mason, Sub-department of Clinical Health Psychology, University College London, London, England WC1N 3BG. Electronic mail: o.mason@ucl.ac.uk. International Journal of... more
... 93 Correspondence concerning this article should be sent to Oliver Mason, Sub-department of Clinical Health Psychology, University College London, London, England WC1N 3BG. Electronic mail: o.mason@ucl.ac.uk. International Journal of Men&#x27;s Health, Vol. 3, No. ...
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The Referential Thinking (REF) scale was designed to be a comprehensive self-report measure of both simple and guilty ideas of reference in the general population. One aim of the present study was to test the proposed interpretations of... more
The Referential Thinking (REF) scale was designed to be a comprehensive self-report measure of both simple and guilty ideas of reference in the general population. One aim of the present study was to test the proposed interpretations of REF scores by comparing REF scores with ratings of delusions among psychotic patients. A 2nd aim was to test whether REF scores are better predicted by the severity of patients&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; delusions of reference (DoRs) than by the severity of their auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs), thus supporting the scores&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; ability to discriminate between proneness to the 2 different symptoms. The REF scale was completed by 56 healthy controls and 53 acutely psychotic patients. The severity of the patients&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; DoRs and AVHs were assessed in structured clinical interviews. REF scores differed significantly not only between the patients and controls but also between patients with versus without DoRs. REF scores correlated significantly with the severity of the patients&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; DoRs but not their AVHs. The interpretation of REF scores as a measure of proneness to simple and guilty ideas of reference was supported.
Research Interests: Psychology, Psychological Assessment, Psychometrics, Prediction, Delusions, and 26 moreTest Validation, Thinking, Interviews, Humans, Business and Management, Personality Assessment Inventory, Correlation, Hallucinations, Female, Predictive Validity, Construct Validity, Male, Validity, Comparative Analysis, Guilt, Cognitive processes, Schizotypal Personality Disorder, Rating Scales, Middle Aged, Adult, Auditory verbal hallucinations, Reproducibility of Results, Psychotic Disorders, Discriminant Validity, Reference Values, and General Population
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This study aimed to establish and compare the effects of brief sensory deprivation on individuals differing in trait hallucination proneness. Eighteen participants selected for high hallucination proneness were compared against 18... more
This study aimed to establish and compare the effects of brief sensory deprivation on individuals differing in trait hallucination proneness. Eighteen participants selected for high hallucination proneness were compared against 18 participants rating low on this trait. The presence of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), and participants&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; cognitive appraisals of these, was evaluated in three different settings: at baseline, in a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;secluded office&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; environment, and in light-and-sound sensory deprivation. Psychotic-like experiences were experienced significantly more often in sensory deprivation for both groups. In particular, both experienced slight increases in perceptual distortions and anhedonia in seclusion, and these increased further during sensory deprivation. Highly hallucination prone individuals showed a significantly greater increase in perceptual distortions in sensory deprivation than did non-prone individuals suggesting a state-trait interaction. Their appraisals of these anomalous experiences were compared to both clinical and non-clinical individuals experiencing psychotic symptoms in everyday life. Short-term sensory deprivation is a potentially useful paradigm to model psychotic experiences, as it is a non-pharmacological tool for temporarily inducing psychotic-like states and is entirely safe at short duration. Experiences occur more frequently, though not exclusively, in those at putative risk of a psychotic disorder. The appraisals of anomalous experiences arising are largely consistent with previous observations of non-clinical individuals though importantly lacked the general positivity of the latter.
Objective: To explore and evaluate the evidence that refugee status is a risk factor for psychosis. Within research relating to mental health problems in refugee populations, studies measuring incidence of psychoses appear to be... more
Objective: To explore and evaluate the evidence that refugee status is a risk factor for psychosis. Within research relating to mental health problems in refugee populations, studies measuring incidence of psychoses appear to be relatively rare. The existing literature has largely focused on the relationship between migration as a whole and psychosis, finding an increased incidence of psychoses in migrant populations across the generations. Surprisingly, explanatory models have largely ignored trauma as a potential factor. We review studies of refugee populations where psychosis has been systematically evaluated. Results: Although many of the studies evaluated involve small and sometimes highly specific samples, all show increased prevalence of psychoses compared to native populations. Whether such psychoses are best described as “schizophrenia‐like” or “reactive psychosis” is far from clear. Conclusion: Refugees are at an increased risk of psychosis, particularly within the early post‐migratory years for the first generation. The role of psychological trauma is clearly implicated in many studies.
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Psychotherapeutic interventions containing training in mindfulness meditation have been shown to help participants with a variety of somatic and psychological conditions. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a meditation-based... more
Psychotherapeutic interventions containing training in mindfulness meditation have been shown to help participants with a variety of somatic and psychological conditions. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a meditation-based psychotherapeutic intervention designed to help reduce the risk of relapse of recurrent depression. There is encouraging early evidence from multi-centre randomized controlled trials. However, little is known of the process by which MBCT may bring therapeutic benefits. This study set out to explore participants' accounts of MBCT in the mental-health context. Seven participants were interviewed in two phases. Interview data from four participants were obtained in the weeks following MBCT. Grounded theory techniques were used to identify several categories that combine to describe the ways in which mental-health difficulties arose as well as their experiences of MBCT. Three further participants who have continued to practise MBCT were interviewed so...
Therapeutic alliance, modality, and ability to engage with the process of therapy have been the main focus of research into what makes psychotherapy successful. Individuals with complex trauma histories or schizophrenia are suggested to... more
Therapeutic alliance, modality, and ability to engage with the process of therapy have been the main focus of research into what makes psychotherapy successful. Individuals with complex trauma histories or schizophrenia are suggested to be more difficult to engage and may be less likely to benefit from therapy. This study aimed to track the in-session &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;process&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; of working alliance and emotional processing of trauma memories for individuals with schizophrenia. The study utilized session recordings from the treatment arm of an open randomized clinical trial investigating trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT) for individuals with schizophrenia (N = 26). Observer measures of working alliance, emotional processing, and affect arousal were rated at early and late phases of therapy. Correlation analysis was undertaken for process measures. Temporal analysis of expressed emotions was also reported. Working alliance was established and maintained throughout the therapy; however, agreement on goals reduced at the late phase. The participants appeared to be able to engage in emotional processing, but not to the required level for successful cognitive restructuring. This study undertook novel exploration of process variables not usually explored in CBT. It is also the first study of process for TF-CBT with individuals with schizophrenia. This complex clinical sample showed no difficulty in engagement; however, they may not be able to fully undertake the cognitive-emotional demands of this type of therapy. Clinical and research implications and potential limitations of these methods are considered. This sample showed no difficulties engaging with TF-CBT and forming a working alliance. However, the participants may not have achieved a level of active involvement required for successful cognitive restructuring of trauma memories. This discrepancy may relate to the mediating role of both working alliance and cognitive-emotional processing. The results underscore the importance of therapists understanding the relationship between alliance and other process factors which may be implicit in facilitating change.
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Aims. This study aimed to establish the contribution of hallucination proneness, anxiety, suggestibility, and fantasy proneness to psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) reported during brief sensory deprivation. Method. Twenty-four high and... more
Aims. This study aimed to establish the contribution of hallucination proneness, anxiety, suggestibility, and fantasy proneness to psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) reported during brief sensory deprivation. Method. Twenty-four high and 22 low hallucination-prone participants reported on PLEs occurring during brief sensory deprivation and at baseline. State/trait anxiety, suggestibility, and fantasy proneness were also measured. Results. Both groups experienced a significant increase in PLEs in sensory deprivation. The high hallucination prone group reported more PLEs both at baseline and in sensory deprivation. They also scored significantly higher on measures of state/trait anxiety, suggestibility, and fantasy proneness, though these did not explain the effects of group or condition. Regression analysis found hallucination proneness to be the best predictor of the increase in PLEs, with state anxiety also being a significant predictor. Fantasy proneness and suggestibility were not...
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This article reviews several approaches to assessing schizotypal traits using a wide variety of self-report and interview measures. It makes a distinction between clinical approaches largely based on syndrome and symptom definitions, and... more
This article reviews several approaches to assessing schizotypal traits using a wide variety of self-report and interview measures. It makes a distinction between clinical approaches largely based on syndrome and symptom definitions, and psychometric approaches to measuring personality traits. The review presents a brief description of the content and psychometric properties of both sets of measures; these cover both the broad rubric of schizotypy often, but not exclusively based on DSM conceptions, as well as measures with a more specific focus. Measurement of schizotypy has taken place within clinical and nonclinical research utilizing a range of designs and methodologies. Several of these are elucidated with respect to the assessment choices open to researchers, and the implications of the measures chosen. These paradigms include the case-control study, "high risk"/"ultra-high risk" groups, a variety of nonclinical groups and other groups of interest, large sc...
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Background: Studies of both clinical and non-clinical voice hearers suggest that distress is rather inconsistently associated with the perceived relationship between voice and hearer. It is also not clear if their beliefs about voices are... more
Background: Studies of both clinical and non-clinical voice hearers suggest that distress is rather inconsistently associated with the perceived relationship between voice and hearer. It is also not clear if their beliefs about voices are relevant. Aims: This study investigated the links between attachment anxiety/avoidance, interpersonal aspects of the voice relationship, and distress whilst considering the impact of beliefs about voices and paranoia. Method: Forty-four voice-hearing participants completed a number of self-report measures tapping attachment, interpersonal processes in the voice relationship, beliefs about voices, paranoia, distress and depression. Results: Attachment avoidance was related to voice intrusiveness, hearer distance and distress. Attachment anxiety was related to voice intrusiveness, hearer dependence and distress. A series of simple mediation analyses were conducted that suggest that the relationship between attachment and voice related distress may be...
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Reasoning biases have been suggested as having a role in the formation and maintenance of delusions, in particular when the content is personal or social. The present study investigated whether biases when making logical inferences about... more
Reasoning biases have been suggested as having a role in the formation and maintenance of delusions, in particular when the content is personal or social. The present study investigated whether biases when making logical inferences about neutral and personally relevant statements may be seen in individuals hypothetically prone to psychosis. Sixty-one participants completed a multi-dimensional measure of psychosis-proneness (Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences) and a conditional inference task. It was found that highly anhedonic participants made more invalid inferences both when reasoning about the consequences of others' emotions and implications for their own self-state. Impulsive Non-conformity was also associated with poor reasoning when 'deducing consequences from others emotions'. The findings suggest that individuals with impulsive and/or anhedonic traits may tend to ignore alternative information when reasoning about personally relevant emotion...
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Psychotherapeutic interventions containing training in mindfulness meditation have been shown to help participants with a variety of somatic and psychological conditions. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a meditation-based... more
Psychotherapeutic interventions containing training in mindfulness meditation have been shown to help participants with a variety of somatic and psychological conditions. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a meditation-based psychotherapeutic intervention designed to help reduce the risk of relapse of recurrent depression. There is encouraging early evidence from multi-centre randomized controlled trials. However, little is known of the process by which MBCT may bring therapeutic benefits. This study set out to explore participants' accounts of MBCT in the mental-health context. Seven participants were interviewed in two phases. Interview data from four participants were obtained in the weeks following MBCT. Grounded theory techniques were used to identify several categories that combine to describe the ways in which mental-health difficulties arose as well as their experiences of MBCT. Three further participants who have continued to practise MBCT were interviewed so...
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Delusions involving technology, and specifically the internet, are increasingly common, and fear-reality statistics suggest computer-related fears are very widespread. These fears form a continuum from the widely understandable and... more
Delusions involving technology, and specifically the internet, are increasingly common, and fear-reality statistics suggest computer-related fears are very widespread. These fears form a continuum from the widely understandable and realistic to the unrealistic, and frankly paranoid. The present study investigated the validity of this construct in a non-clinical population by constructing a novel self-report measure. The new Cyber-Paranoia and Fear Scale aims to measure the perception of information technology-related threats originating from or enabled by computers, smartphones, social networks, and digital surveillance. Psychometric properties of the new Cyber-Paranoia and Fear Scale are reported alongside an established measure of suspiciousness and paranoia in 181 participants including a sub-group of fifty information technology professionals. Exploratory factor analysis suggested the presence of two, related, dimensions that we term cyber-paranoia and cyber-fear. Both sub-scale...