The experience of social defeat may increase the risk of developing psychotic symptoms and psychotic disorders. We studied the relationship between social defeat and paranoid appraisal in people at high risk for psychosis in an experimental social environment created using Virtual Reality (VR).
Method
We recruited UHR (N = 64) participants and healthy volunteers (N = 43). Regression analysis was used to investigate which baseline measures predicted paranoid appraisals during the VR experience.
Results
At baseline, UHR subjects reported significantly higher levels of social defeat than controls (OR = .957, (CI) .941–.973, p < .000). Following exposure to the VR social environment, the UHR group reported significantly more paranoid appraisals than the controls (p < .000). Within the UHR sample, paranoid appraisals were predicted by the level of social defeat at baseline, as well as by the severity of positive psychotic and disorganised symptoms.
Conclusion
In people who are at high risk of psychosis, a history of social defeat is associated with an increased likelihood of making paranoid appraisals of social interactions. This is consistent with the notion that social defeat increases the risk of developing psychosis.
Very interesting. Perhaps the aerly twenties where many get psychotic, is also a time where you make it or break it socially. Theres no support anymore and it becomes obvious whos a social succes and whos not. I will consider this for myself.
The question for me is does social defeat lead to psychosis or is social defeat due to negative peer reactions to already present psychotic traits/unusual behaviour.?
Yeah there’s a user here that can’t maintain any social decorum , from the privacy and comfort of s computer screen. Continually getting banned. You’d wonder how he manages in the real world , so poor are his skills.
whatever he isnt taking his opponents as they are but interprets them according to his imagionation. like he interpreted a completly different message of what i really said and thought it is legit to respond to
Yes. It might be wishfull thinking from my part, BUT I fit the social defeat very well, as well as the trauma model in childhood. Thats why I find these non-bilogical theories interesting, plus I didnt have any symptoms until I was 26, positive that is.