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Background Paranoid ideation has been regarded as a cognitive and a social process used as a defence against perceived threats. According to this perspective, paranoid ideation can be understood as a process extending across the normal-pathological continuum. Methods In order to refine the construct of paranoid ideation and to validate a measure of paranoia, 906 Portuguese participants from the general population and 91 patients were administered the General Paranoia Scale ( GPS), and two conceptual models (one- and tridimensional) were compared through confirmatory factor analysis ( CFA). Results Results from the CFA of the GPS confirmed a different model than the one-dimensional model proposed by Fenigstein and Vanable, which comprised three dimensions (mistrust thoughts, persecutory ideas, and self-deprecation). This alternative model presented a better fit and increased sensitivity when compared with the one-dimensional model. Further data analysis of the scale revealed that the GPS is an adequate assessment tool for adults, with good psychometric characteristics and high internal consistency. Conclusion The model proposed in the current work leads to further refinements and enrichment of the construct of paranoia in different populations, allowing the assessment of three dimensions of paranoia and the risk of clinical paranoia in a single measure for the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Social wariness and anxiety can take different forms. Paranoid anxiety focuses on the malevolence of others, whereas social anxiety focuses on the inadequacies in the self in competing for social position and social acceptance. This study investigates whether shame and shame memories are differently associated with paranoid and social anxieties. Method Shame, traumatic impact of shame memory, centrality of shame memory, paranoia and social anxiety were assessed using self-report questionnaires in 328 participants recruited from the general population. Results Results from path analyses show that external shame is specifically associated with paranoid anxiety. In contrast, internal shame is specifically associated with social anxiety. In addition, shame memories, which function like traumatic memories, or that are a central reference point to the individual's self-identity and life story, are significantly associated with paranoid anxiety, even when current external and internal shame are considered at the same time. Thus, traumatic impact of shame memory and centrality of shame memory predict paranoia (but not social anxiety) even when considering for current feelings of shame. Conclusion Our study supports the evolutionary model suggesting there are two different types of 'conspecific' anxiety, with different evolutionary histories, functions and psychological processes. Paranoia, but less so social anxiety, is associated with traumatic impact and the centrality of shame memories. Researchers and clinicians should distinguish between types of shame memory, particularly those where the self might have felt vulnerable and subordinate and perceived others as threatening and hostile, holding malevolent intentions towards the self. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message Shame and shame memories are distinctively related to paranoia and social anxiety., External shame is especially associated with paranoid ideation, whereas internal shame is specifically linked to social anxiety., The historical route of shame memories, especially those structured as traumatic and central memories to personal identity and life story, may play a significant role in paranoia, perhaps more so than in social anxiety., Therapy for paranoia or social anxiety should integrate strategies to work with shame., Therapeutic interventions with patients experiencing paranoid anxiety should evaluate and address their shame memories, particularly those that function as traumatic and central memories to their self-identity and life narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Bullying has been considered as a traumatic experience that can lead to paranoid ideation in students (Campbell and Morrison, 2007). This study aimed to explore differences concerning experiences of childhood trauma, the display of social anxiety behaviours, paranoid ideation, and aggressive traits and behaviour in a mixed clinical population with and without persecutory delusions, between individuals who reported being victims of bullying versus those who did not. Method A total of 61 individuals with diagnoses of paranoid schizophrenia and social anxiety disorder were given a battery of questionnaires that measured bullying experiences, childhood abuse and experiences of threat and subordination, paranoid ideation, social anxiety behaviours, shame, and aggressive traits and behaviours. Results Data on the differences between the victims of bullying and non-victims, in terms of recalling being bullied, showed higher scores on childhood abuse, experiences of threat and subordination within the family, aggressive traits and higher display of persecutory symptoms and less social anxiety behaviours. Conclusion Bullying is a traumatic phenomenon that is reported by people who suffer from persecutory delusions to a higher degree than those who do not. This study, thus, gives support to the idea that childhood abuse within the family is associated with bullying experiences and that a traumatic infancy may lead to the use of aggressive traits and behaviours to deal with a threatening environment (Bentall and Fernyhough, ). This argument raises clinical issues regarding anger management and addressing bullying experiences in individuals with persecutory ideation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message The importance of bullying experiences in clinical practice: anger management and the relationship between aggressive temperaments and persecutory ideation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Trower and Chadwick argued that there are two types of paranoia: 'poor me', in which persecution is seen as undeserved, and 'bad me', in which it is perceived to be deserved. These authors outlined a theory which accounts for both types of paranoia and makes predictions regarding their stability. Aims and objectives. To examine whether different degrees of persecutory ideation and deservedness are associated with different coping strategies in non-clinical populations. Methodology. Six hundred and eight university students from two European countries (UK and Portugal) took part via the Internet, and were assessed in terms of the severity of persecution and deservedness (Persecution and Deservedness Scale), mood (Beck Depression Inventory), and coping strategies (Response Styles to Depression Questionnaire and COPE Questionnaire). Results. Deservedness was associated with acceptance and with engaging in dangerous activities. Conclusions. 'Poor me' and 'bad me' paranoia may represent separate phases of the same unstable defensive phenomenon. The effectiveness of the existing psychological interventions in prodromal psychosis could be increased by addressing the negative impact of safety behaviours and of substance misuse and by encouraging the practice of more adaptive ways of dealing with everyday problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To design a brief measure to assess both the severity of paranoid thinking and the perceived deservedness of persecution, which can be employed in clinical and non-clinical populations. Background. No existing measure is adequate for these purposes. Methods. In Study 1, we selected 10 items for a persecution and deservedness scale (PaDS) using data from 318 UK and 290 Portuguese undergraduate students, who also completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the Fenigstein's Paranoia Scale. In Study 2, we made comparisons between 45 clinical participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or delusional disorder and the UK students from Study 1. The psychometric properties of the PaDS were analysed for separate persecution (P) and deservedness (D) subscales. Results. The 10-item PaDS subscales were internally reliable for both clinical and student samples. Correlations with other measures of depressive mood and paranoid thinking indicate that the P subscale has concurrent validity. Higher P and D scores were observed in UK students compared to Portuguese students. The clinical participants' P scores subscale were significantly higher than the students' scores but their D scores were lower. Conclusions. The PaDS is a reliable and valid measure of paranoid thinking and perceived deservedness of persecution, which is sensitive for use in clinical and non-clinical populations. Paranoid thinking appears to be mainly bad-me in non-clinical groups but poor-me in psychotic psychiatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide threat to public health and the global economy. The climate of fear and uncertainty associated with the pandemic has fostered the emergence of a wide range of COVID-19 conspiracy theories that have the potential to shape public opinion and hinder the effective dissemination of valid information. Beliefs in conspiracy theories have been associated with maladaptive personality traits such as schizotypy and paranoia, as well as other non-psychotic psychological characteristics (e.g., social isolation, stress). An online survey was conducted to examine the associations between beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and psychotic-like experiences in a Portuguese community sample (N = 438), while also addressing the role of sociodemographic variables, psychological outcomes (e.g., stress, affective states), confinement-related factors (e.g., confinement conditions/behaviors), and pandemic-related factors (e.g., health concerns, financial issues). Findings suggest that psychotic-like experiences are associated with beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, particularly perceptual abnormalities and persecutory ideation. Moreover, increased health-related concerns and reduced education levels also seem to be liability factors for these conspiracy beliefs. These results add important insights into how the adherence to illogical and erroneous disease-related arguments can be related to psychotic-like experiences. COVID-19 conspiracy theories are yet another major challenge that governments and policymakers must contemplate when defining strategic directions to manage the current and future pandemics. • Psychotic-like experiences are related to COVID-19 conspiracy theory beliefs. • Emphasis on perceptual abnormalities and persecutory ideation. • Health concerns and low education can be liability factors for conspiracy beliefs. • Illogical disease-related arguments can be related to psychotic-like experiences. • COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Beliefs Questionnaire had high Cronbach's α (0.886). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]