Punishment, Deservedness and Responsibility in Paranoia. Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Deservedness, Punishment and Responsibility for Harm in Persecutory Delusions: An Experience Sampling Study
IRAS ID
168284
Contact name
Kathryn Tibble
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Psychosis is a common mental health disorder, which frequently includes visual and auditory hallucinations, as well as delusions of persecution. Individuals experiencing paranoid delusions typically believe that a persecutor intends to harm them.
Multidimensional perspectives of paranoid thinking assess to what extent individuals' beliefs are held with conviction and are preoccupying, distressing and disruptive to every day life. Previous research indicates that persecutory delusions are a particularly complex experience and that variations may exist in beliefs relating to deservedness, punishment and responsibility for harm. Emerging evidence suggests that paranoid beliefs may also fluctuate in relation to changes in self-esteem, negative affect and social situation within the context of daily life.
This research aims to first refine our understanding of deservedness, punishment and responsibility in paranoia, and to assess whether these constructs have an independent influence on perceived distress. Second, we aim to explore how these dimensions vary over time, in the context of specific predictors. Participants will be recruited through the Psychological Interventions Clinic for outpatients with Psychosis (PICuP) service, within the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM). In the first stage, participants will complete eight questionnaires and have a 45-minute semi-structured interview with the primary researcher, at their Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). This will be followed by the second stage with the same participants, which will utilise Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) to assess daily fluctuations in the paranoia concepts and their predictors using a structured diary technique, over 6 days.
REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0221
Date of REC Opinion
23 Feb 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion