RT Journal Article
SR 00
ID 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.11.012
A1 Murphy, Elizabeth K.
A1 Tully, Sarah
A1 Pyle, Melissa
A1 Gumley, Andrew I.
A1 Kingdon, David
A1 Schwannauer, Matthias
A1 Turkington, Douglas
A1 Morrison, Anthony P.
T1 The beliefs about paranoia scale: confirmatory factor analysis and tests of a metacognitive model of paranoia in a clinical sample
JF Psychiatry Research
YR 2017
FD 2017-02
VO 248
SP 87
OP 94
AB This study aimed to confirm the factor structure of the Beliefs about Paranoia Scale (BaPS), a self-report measure to assess metacognitive beliefs about paranoia, and to test hypotheses of a metacognitive model. We hypothesised that positive and negative beliefs about paranoia would be associated with severity of suspiciousness, and that the co-occurrence of positive and negative beliefs would be associated with increased suspiciousness. A total of 335 patients meeting criteria for a schizophrenia spectrum disorder completed the BaPS, the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale (PANSS), and the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS). Confirmatory factor analysis verified that the three BaPS subscales (negative beliefs about paranoia, paranoia as a survival strategy, and normalizing beliefs) were an adequate fit of the data. Ordinal regression showed that positive beliefs about paranoia as a survival strategy and negative beliefs were both associated with severity of suspiciousness. This was the first study to show that the co-occurrence of positive and negative beliefs was associated with increased suspiciousness. All hypotheses were confirmed, suggesting that a metacognitive approach has utility for the conceptualization of paranoia. Clinical implications suggest a role for metacognitive therapy, including strategies such as detached mindfulness and worry postponement.
PB Elsevier
SN 0165-1781
LK https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/133653/