Psychosocial correlates of late-onset psychosis: life experiences, cognitive schemas, and attitudes to ageing
✍ Scribed by Sharon Giblin; Linda Clare; Gill Livingston; Rob Howard
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2004
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 166 KB
- Volume
- 19
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0885-6230
- DOI
- 10.1002/gps.1129
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Abstract
Background
Psychosis with first onset after the age of 60, and arising in the absence of dementia or primary affective disorder, is thought to affect 2–4% of older people, and as many as half will not respond fully to medication.
Aims
This study represents a preliminary attempt to explore a number of possible psychosocial correlates of late‐onset psychosis with potential relevance for a cognitive‐behavioural formulation and for the development of psychosocial interventions for this group.
Methods
The nature and extent of adverse early life experiences, presence of maladaptive cognitive schemas, and morale in relation to ageing were compared for older people with a diagnosis of late‐onset psychosis (LOP; n = 14) or late‐onset depression (DEP; n = 13) and healthy older volunteers (HEV; n = 18) in a cross‐sectional design.
Results
Both LOP and DEP groups reported significantly higher levels of adverse life experiences than the HEV group, with between‐group differences in the types of experiences described. The LOP group scored significantly higher than the HEV group on four out of five schema domains, and significantly higher than the DEP group on two domains, other‐directedness and over‐vigilance/inhibition. The LOP group had significantly lower overall morale in relation to ageing than the HEV group, reflecting significantly higher levels of lonely‐dissatisfaction.
Conclusions
Life experiences, cognitive schemas and attitudes to ageing are important psychosocial correlates of LOP. These findings contribute to an understanding of the emotional world of individuals who develop psychosis in later life and may have implications for developing more effective intervention approaches. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.