The mediating role of self-disturbances in the relationship between stress sensitivity and psychotic-like experiences among individuals prone to psychosis
R. Pionke-Ubych, J. Piwińska, L. Gaweda
European Psychiatry June 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2026.12138 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 50 |
| Population | Adults from the general population (screened from 1340 individuals, excluding psychotic and neurological disorders and substance dependence) with the highest scores on the Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16); 26 females, mean age 27.64 years (SD 4.42) |
| Measures | Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Traumatic Experience Checklist (TEC), Inventory of Psychotic-like Anomalous Self-Experiences (IPASE) |
| Key findings | Self-disturbances mediated the relationship between stress sensitivity and psychotic-like experiences, with a significant total effect (standardized beta = 0.49) and significant indirect effect (beta = 0.51) but a non-significant direct effect (beta = -0.01), indicating indirect-only mediation. Contrary to prior research, trauma and stress sensitivity were not significantly correlated, so trauma was excluded from the mediation model. |
Abstract
Introduction: Previous studies have shown that self-disturbances mediate the relationship between traumatic life events and psychotic-like experiences. However, it is unknown whether this model may be extended to stress sensitivity. We hypothesize that a history of early trauma increases the risk for psychotic experiences through stress sensitization and disturbance of the basic sense of self.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate relationships between traumatic life events, stress sensitivity, self-disturbances and psychotic-like experiences.
Methods: A sample of 50 (26 females; mean age: 27.64, SD = 4.42) individuals from the general population (n=1340, psychotic and neurological disorders as well as substance dependence were excluded) with the highest score in Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16) fulfilled questionnaires assessing stress sensitivity (Perceived Stress Scale; PSS-10), traumatic life events (Traumatic Experience Checklist; TEC) and self-disturbances (Inventory of Psychotic-like Anomalous Self-Experiences; IPASE). Pearson’s correlational analyses were performed to evaluate relationships between measured variables. Further mediation analysis with SPSS Process macro was performed.
Results: All the variables significantly correlated with each other, except for the relationship between trauma and stress sensitivity, which turned out to be insignificant. Therefore, trauma was not included in the mediation model. Self-disturbances significantly mediated the relationship between stress sensitivity and psychotic-like experiences. The standardized total effect of stress sensitivity on psychotic-like experiences significantly differed from zero (β = 0.49, 95% CI 0.032 to 0.954, p<0.05). The standardized indirect effect of self-disturbances was significant (β = 0.51, 95% CI 0.145 to 0.991). The direct effect of stress sensitivity on psychotic-like experiences was insignificant (β = −0.01, 95% CI −0.370 to 0.341, p>0.05), which means that the mediation is indirect-only.
Conclusions: The results of other studies indicating that a history of childhood trauma exposure is associated with subsequent stress sensitization were not reflected in our study data. However, elevated stress sensitivity was found to be indirectly related to psychotic-like experiences through enhanced self-disturbances. Disclosure of Interest None Declared