Xi Chang, Wang Song
Department of Psychology, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, People's Republic of China.
College of Information and Intelligence, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, People's Republic of China.
Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2025 Jun 13;18:1391-1401. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S523666. eCollection 2025.
Although the linkage between cognitive biases and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) is well established, the knowledge of potential mechanisms of this relationship is still unknown. The aim of the present study was to better understand the structure of connections between cognitive biases and PLEs by considering at the same time the role of childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in a non-clinical adolescent sample (aged 14-19 years).
PLEs were measured using the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE-P15), cognitive biases were assessed with the Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale-42 (DACOBS-42), depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and exposure to childhood traumatic life events was measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF). A network analysis was conducted to examine the interrelationships between these variables.
The most central nodes in the network were the cognitive bias items "belief inflexibility", "safety behaviors", and "subjective cognitive problems". Shortest path analyses revealed that depressive symptoms played a significant mediating role between cognitive biases and PLEs. Specifically, the shortest pathways from cognitive biases item "subjective cognitive problems" to PLEs items P7 (subjective cognitive problems), P8 (thought own), and P11 (control force) involved depressive symptoms, including items related to "guilt", "concentration", "motor", and " suicide".
Our findings highlight the central role of cognitive distortions and emotional symptoms within the psychosis-risk network. Depressive symptom nodes serve as critical mediators between subjective cognitive problems and PLEs, underscoring their pivotal function in driving the development of PLEs among adolescents with cognitive biases. These results suggest a tight interconnection between emotional and cognitive processes in psychosis vulnerability, emphasizing the need for integrated interventions targeting both domains.
虽然认知偏差与类精神病体验（PLEs）之间的联系已得到充分证实，但这种关系的潜在机制仍不清楚。本研究的目的是通过同时考虑童年创伤和抑郁症状在非临床青少年样本（14 - 19岁）中的作用，更好地理解认知偏差与PLEs之间的联系结构。
使用精神体验社区评估量表（CAPE - P15）测量PLEs，使用达沃斯认知偏差评估量表 - 42（DACOBS - 42）评估认知偏差，使用患者健康问卷 - 9（PHQ - 9）评估抑郁症状，并使用儿童创伤问卷（CTQ - SF）测量童年创伤性生活事件的暴露情况。进行网络分析以检验这些变量之间的相互关系。
网络中最核心的节点是认知偏差项目“信念僵化”、“安全行为”和“主观认知问题”。最短路径分析表明，抑郁症状在认知偏差和PLEs之间起显著的中介作用。具体而言，从认知偏差项目“主观认知问题”到PLEs项目P7（主观认知问题）、P8（自我思考）和P11（控制力）的最短路径涉及抑郁症状，包括与“内疚”、“注意力”、“运动”和“自杀”相关的项目。
我们的研究结果突出了认知扭曲和情绪症状在精神病风险网络中的核心作用。抑郁症状节点是主观认知问题和PLEs之间的关键中介，强调了它们在有认知偏差的青少年中推动PLEs发展的关键作用。这些结果表明在精神病易感性中情绪和认知过程之间存在紧密联系，强调了针对这两个领域进行综合干预的必要性。
