Measuring stress and psychosis in parents
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Using ESM to Investigate the Relationship between Stress from Parenting and Positive Psychotic Symptoms in Parents with Psychosis
IRAS ID
279382
Contact name
Jessica Radley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford/Clinical Trials and Research Governance
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 31 days
Research summary
Research Summary
Psychosis is a mental health condition that causes people to perceive or interpret things differently from those around them and two the main symptoms are hallucinations and delusions. It has been hypothesised that stress can trigger episodes of psychosis and this has been confirmed by previous research. Some parents develop psychosis after they have children, at a later age than usual. A possible reason for this late development of psychosis may be due to stress from parenting. For all parents with psychosis, stress from parenting may also predict a relapse. This research aims to look at the relationship between parenting related stress and mental health in parents with psychosis, and whether certain factors, like coping strategies and child behaviour, affect this relationship. It will use Experience Sampling Methodology where participants use mobile phones allowing them to track their stress and symptoms multiple times a day on a moment-by-moment basis. Participants will receive a study phone which will notify them at six random time points each day for ten days prompting them to answer questions about their environment and their current levels of stress, emotion, and positive psychotic symptoms. It will take the participants two to three minutes to complete these questions at each notification. This design means the research team can look at how stress at one time point predicts psychosis at a later time point and vice-versa. The results from this study will go on to form the Chief Investigator’s PhD thesis looking at the needs of parents with psychosis and the needs of their families.
This PhD studentship has been funded by Mental Health Research UK and will be recruiting patients from Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Summary of Results
This study investigated the relationship between stress and psychosis within parents with a diagnosed psychotic disorder. We found that parenting stress predicted a rise in positive psychotic symptoms, and this was mediated by negative affect (low mood). We also found that the opposite direction was true; that positive psychotic symptoms predict a rise in parenting stress.
We hypothesised that i) parenting self-efficacy, ii) coping levels, iii) levels of social support, iv) gender and v) child behaviour would impact the relationship between stress and psychosis. However, there was very little evidence for any effects and this was likely due to the study design. We also could not confirm our hypothesis that parenting stress had a larger impact on psychotic symptoms than other types of stress.
REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/LO/0656
Date of REC Opinion
28 Apr 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion