Relationship between social cognition and emotional markers and acoustic-verbal hallucination in youth with post-traumatic stress disorder: Protocol for a prospective, 2-year, longitudinal case-control study.
Louise-Emilie Dumas, Arnaud Fernandez, Philippe Auby, Florence Askenazy
PLoS One July 2, 2024 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306338 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective case-control study, longitudinal (study protocol) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Children and adolescents aged 8 to 16 years with a DSM-5 diagnosis of PTSD and without psychosis, divided into groups with and without auditory-verbal hallucinations |
| Duration | Two years, with interim reassessments at six months and one year |
| Measures | NEPSY II, Differential Emotion Scale IV, Revised Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire |
| Topics | PTSD |
| Keywords | Humans Hallucinations Case-control studies Longitudinal studies Prospective studies Emotions Stress disorders, post-traumatic Psychotic disorders Adolescent Child Female Social cognition |
| Registration | NCT03356028 |
| Key findings | The protocol proposes that social cognition and emotional markers may serve as prodromal indicators of progression from PTSD to psychotic disorders, and that PTSD and AVH may be connected through sensory, emotional, and cognitive biases along a continuum model. It aims to test correlations between these markers and the presence and persistence of AVH over two years; no results are reported. |
Abstract
Introduction: Auditory-verbal hallucinatory experiences (AVH) have a 12% prevalence in the general pediatric population. Literature reports a higher risk of developing AVH in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The persistence of AVHs during adolescence represents a risk of evolution into psychotic disorders. Social cognition and emotional markers could be considered prodromes markers of this evolution. The objectives of this prospective observational study are to observe social cognition and emotional markers correlation with the presence and persistence of AVH over two years and with the evolution of PTSD and psychotic diagnosis. Methods and analysis: This prospective case-control study, longitudinal over two years (with an interim reassessment at six months and one year), will include 40 participants aged 8 to 16 years old with a diagnosis of PTSD and without a diagnosis of psychosis according to the criteria of DSM-5 (K-SADS-PL). Subjects included are divided into two groups with AVH and without AVH matched by gender, age and diagnosis. The primary outcome measure will be the correlation between social cognition and emotional makers and the presence of AVH in the PTSD pediatric population without psychotic disorders. The social cognition marker is assessed with the NEPSY II test. The emotional marker is assessed with the Differential Emotion Scale IV and the Revised Beliefs About Voices Questionnaire. The secondary outcome measures are the correlation of these markers with the persistence of AVH and the evolution of the patient's initial diagnosis two years later.
Discussion: The originality of our protocol is to explore the potential progression to psychosis from PTSD by cognitive biases. This study supports the hypothesis of connections between PTSD and AVH through sensory, emotional and cognitive biases. It proposes a continuum model from PTSD to psychotic disorder due to impaired perception like AVH.
Trial Registration: Clinical
Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03356028.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Using Low Doses in a Small Sample of Women with Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Women with chronic PTSD secondary to sexual assault | 2008 | Observational cohort | n = 6 |
| An Ambulatory Polysomnography Study of the Post-traumatic Nightmares of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment-seeking veterans, current serving military members, and emergency service... | 2017 | Observational study using ambulatory polysomnography | n = 35 |
| Increased Mastery Elements Associated With Imagery Rehearsal Treatment for Nightmares in Sexual Assault Survivors With PTSD. Female sexual assault survivors with chronic nightmares | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 44 |
| Posttraumatic stress symptoms following near-death experiences. Persons who report near-death experiences and those who came close to death without NDEs | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Impact of oral ketamine augmentation on hospital admissions in treatment-resistant depression and PTSD: a retrospective study. Outpatients with treatment-resistant depression and PTSD | 2018 | Retrospective review | n = 37 |
Citations in the library
Cites 5
- Prevalence and correlates of auditory vocal hallucinations in middle childhood The British Journal of Psychiatry December 31, 2009
- Course of auditory vocal hallucinations in childhood: 11‐year follow‐up study Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica March 24, 2016
- From phenomenology to neurophysiological understanding of hallucinations in children and adolescents. Schizophrenia Bulletin July 2014
- Childhood trauma and auditory verbal hallucinations. Psychological Medicine December 2012
- Cognitive mechanisms of auditory verbal hallucinations in psychotic and non-psychotic groups. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews January 2012