Are paranoid ideation and hallucination spectrum experiences differently associated with affect dynamics? A continuous-time modeling approach.

Emotion, Vol 23(5), Aug 2023, 1294-1305; doi:10.1037/emo0001150Psychotic experiences have been associated with distortions in affective functioning, including aberrancies in affect dynamics. However, it remains unclear whether the two principal symptom dimensions of psychosis, namely paranoid ideation and hallucination spectrum experiences, are differently associated with affect dynamics, and whether associations hold after statistically controlling for depressive symptoms. We investigate this by using a novel statistical approach, the hierarchical Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) process model. This is a continuous-time stochastic differential equations model in a Bayesian framework that describes dynamics in affective valence and arousal via three core parameters: attractor point, variability, and attractor strength. In a community sample with varying levels of psychotic experiences (n = 116), we measured affective valence and arousal 10 times per day for 7 days, using the experience-sampling method. We found—while statistically controlling for depressive symptoms—credible between-subjects associations between paranoid ideation and attractor points of negative valence and high arousal. We also found a credible positive association between hallucination spectrum experiences and arousal variability. Limited evidence emerged for small associations between paranoid ideation and high valence variability as well as between paranoid ideation and high attractor strengths of valence and ...
Source: Emotion - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research