Persistent Childhood and Adolescent Anxiety and Risk for Psychosis: A Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study

Persistent anxiety in childhood and adolescence could represent a novel treatment target for psychosis, potentially targeting activation of stress pathways and secondary nonresolving inflammatory response. Here, we examined the association between persistent anxiety through childhood and adolescence with individuals with psychotic experiences (PEs) or who met criteria for psychotic disorder (PD) at age 24 years. We also investigated whether C-reactive protein mediated any association.

Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) were available in 8242 children at age 8 years, 7658 at age 10 years, 6906 at age 13 years, and 3889 at age 24 years. The Development and Well-Being Assessment was administered to capture child and adolescent anxiety. We created a composite score of generalized anxiety at ages 8, 10, and 13. PEs and PD were assessed at age 24, derived from the Psychosis-like Symptoms Interview. The mean of C-reactive protein at ages 9 and 15 years was used as a mediator.

Individuals with persistent high levels of anxiety were more likely to develop PEs (odds ratio 2.02, 95% CI 1.26-3.23, p = .003) and PD at age 24 (odds ratio 4.23, 95% CI 2.27-7.88, p < .001). The mean of C-reactive protein at ages 9 and 15 mediated the associations of persistent anxiety with PEs (bias-corrected estimate -0.001, p = .013) and PD (bias-corrected estimate 0.001, p = .003).

Persistent high levels of anxiety through childhood and adolescence could be a risk factor for psychosis. Persistent anxiety is potentially related to subsequent psychosis via activation of stress hormones and nonresolving inflammation. These results contribute to the potential for preventive interventions in psychosis, with the novel target of early anxiety.