The British Journal of Psychiatry (2008) 193: 378-382. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.108.049536
© 2008 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Associations between childhood trauma, bullying and psychotic symptoms among a school-based adolescent sample

Ian Kelleher, MSc

Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland

Michelle Harley, MB, MRCPsych

Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

Fionnuala Lynch, MB, MD, MRCPsych, MSc

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, and University College Dublin, Ireland

Louise Arseneault, PhD

Medical Research Council Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK

Carol Fitzpatrick, MD, FRCPI, FRCPsych

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, The Children's University Hospital Temple St, and University College Dublin, Ireland

Mary Cannon, MB, PhD, MRCPsych

Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

Correspondence: Professor Mary Cannon, Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland. Email: marycannon{at}rcsi.ie

Declaration of interest

None. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

Background

Children and adolescents who report psychotic symptoms appear to be at increased risk for psychotic disorders in adulthood – a putative `symptomatic' high-risk group. However, little research has investigated whether those in this high-risk population have increased rates of exposure to traumatic events in childhood, as seen in patients who have a psychotic illness.

Aims

To examine whether adolescents with psychotic symptoms have an increased rate of traumatic experiences.

Method

Psychiatric interviews were carried out with 211 adolescents aged between 12 and 15 years and their parents as part of a population-based study. The interview enquired about a number of early traumatic events including physical and sexual abuse, exposure to domestic violence and bullying.

Results

Fourteen adolescents (6.6% of those interviewed) reported experiencing at least one psychotic symptom. Adolescents who reported psychotic symptoms were significantly more likely to have been physically abused in childhood, to have been exposed to domestic violence and to be identified as a bully/victim (that is, both a perpetrator and victim of bullying) than those who did not report such symptoms. These findings were not confounded by comorbid psychiatric illness or family history of psychiatric history.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that childhood trauma may increase the risk of psychotic experiences. The characteristics of bully/victims deserve further study.


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