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How psychotic-like are paranormal beliefs?
Matteo Cella1, Marcello Vellante, Antonio Preti
1Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK. matteo.cella@kcl.ac.uk
Paranormal beliefs and psychotic-like experiences (PLE) are common, but their link to psychosis risk is unclear. This study found paranormal belief intensity correlates with delusion and hallucination proneness, not distress.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
Background:
- Paranormal beliefs and psychotic-like experiences (PLE) share phenotypic similarities.
- Both can occur in the general population and individuals with psychosis, but their relationship to psychosis risk is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between paranormal beliefs, psychotic-like experiences (PLE), and psychological distress in young adults.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 503 young adults.
- Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing paranormal beliefs, psychological distress, delusion proneness, and hallucination proneness.
Main Results:
- Individuals with higher frequency and intensity of PLE were more likely to believe in the paranormal.
- Paranormal beliefs were predicted by delusion and hallucination proneness, but not by psychological distress.
- Psychological distress levels were comparable between paranormal believers and non-believers.
Conclusions:
- The predictive value of paranormal beliefs and experiences for psychosis risk may be limited.
- Appraisal or emotional salience of beliefs, rather than the beliefs themselves, might be more relevant risk factors for psychosis.
- Findings are exploratory due to the cross-sectional design and require replication with longitudinal studies.
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