Stress and psychosis: towards the development of new models of investigation

Abstract

The experience of stress is commonly implicated in the onset and maintenance of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Previous studies that have addressed this relationship have had mixed results and serious methodological flaws associated with study design are common. One central limitation is the over-reliance on the experience of life events as a measure of the experience of stress. Research in the general stress literature suggest that attention also needs to be paid to the experience of other types of stressful events (such as 'hassles') as well as qualitative appraisals of events to fully understand the relationship between stressful experiences and mental health problems such as psychosis. Investigation of the experiences of stress by young people who are identified as being at heightened risk of developing a psychotic disorder would also result in a more complete understanding of the relationship between the experience of stress and the onset of psychotic disorder.