Browsing by Author "Liukko, Emmi"

Objective: Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are common in general population and exist in a continuum with clinical psychotic disorders. PLEs are associated with later psychotic and non-psychotic disorders as well as concurrent poorer functioning and distress. It has been well established that childhood trauma is a risk factor for later sleep disturbances, and both are predictors for higher occurrence of PLEs. However, these factors are rarely studied together and better understanding of the risk factors and underlying mechanisms behind PLEs is of clinical relevance to ensure better treatment and prevention of further disadvantages. Methods: The study population (N = 681) consisted of adolescent outpatients in psychiatric care in Finland. Results from self-reported questionnaires of childhood trauma, sleep quality, and PLEs were used in multiple linear regression models and the possible mediating effect of sleep quality between childhood trauma and PLEs was tested. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were later added as possible confounding variables. Results: Childhood trauma and sleep quality were both associated with hallucinations and delusions in primary analyses and there were indications of a small, partial mediating effect. However, adding depressive and anxiety symptoms to the models changed the mediating effects and sleep no longer appeared as an explanatory factor. Discussion: Depressive and anxiety symptoms appeared to explain the connection between childhood trauma and PLEs better than sleep quality. This could be due to overlap in symptomology that mask the possible effects of sleep or similar mechanisms behind examined variables that are also closely connected to depressive and anxiety symptoms.