Trauma and psychosis: a qualitative study exploring the perspectives of people with psychosis on the influence of traumatic experiences on psychotic symptoms and quality of life.
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Despite experiencing high rates of trauma and trauma-related conditions, people with psychosis are seldomly asked about possible traumatic events. While there are some barriers to discussing trauma in clinical services, research has shown that disclosure is not only possible but also beneficial to both psychotic and traumatic symptoms. The current study is the first to evaluate service users' perception of the influence of trauma on the development and maintenance of their psychotic symptoms, as well as their views on how their life and mental health have been affected by traumatic events and their disclosure (or lack of). METHODS: Eleven participants with experiences of psychosis and trauma took part in semi-structured interviews. RESULTS: Consistently with previous literature, our participants reported high rates of interpersonal trauma, but had rarely had the opportunity to discuss any of these events. Using thematic analysis, we identified three major themes that have important implications for healthcare: factors that facilitate or hinder talking about trauma; consequences of talking or not; and relationship between trauma and psychosis. Participants generally benefited from talking about trauma and concerningly often associated the prolonged lack of opportunities to discuss traumatic events with negative feelings towards the self and with a deterioration of their mental health. Participants also recognised direct links between past traumas and the content and characteristics of their psychotic experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the importance, as perceived by service users, of discussing trauma and looking at psychosis through a "trauma lens". These results stress the need to systematically assess trauma history and traumatic symptoms in psychosis and might potentially help to overcome clinicians' worries about discussing trauma with service users. Our findings underscore the need to change current practice and implement trauma-informed approaches to understand clients' difficulties and provide support.
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Feeling respected and safe was often spoken of as a novel experience that motivated people to engage in self-inquiry and growth, including disclosure and exploration of traumatic experience.
“In accordance with findings from Campodonico et al. (33), feeling respected and safe was often spoken of as a novel experience that motivated people to engage in a process of self-inquiry and growth, including the disclosure and exploration of traumatic experience.”
From Making meaning of trauma in psychosis (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
The Results section (page not supplied) says that a safe environment and a trustworthy, nonjudgmental listener facilitated trauma disclosure. The Discussion says that telling their stories helped participants process memories and could increase self-esteem. The paper does not describe feeling respected and safe as a novel experience that motivated a broader process of self-inquiry and growth. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPeople with psychosis experience a lack of opportunities to discuss and address trauma, both within and outside mental healthcare.
“they experience a lack of opportunities to discuss and address trauma, both within and outside mental healthcare (31–33).”
From Making meaning of trauma in psychosis (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
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References 70 · Cited by 49
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- [23]NICE. Psychosis and Schizophrenia in Adults: the NICE guideline on treatment and management, updated edition. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; 2014. 25340235
- [42]Sin J Spain D Psychological interventions for trauma in individuals who have psychosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis Psychosis-Psychological Soc Integr Approaches 2017 9 1 67 81
- [57]Smyth JM, Pennebaker JW, Arigo D. What are the health effects of disclosure? In: Baum A, Revenson TA, Singer J, editors. Handbook of health psychology (2nd ed). New York: Psychology Press; 2012. p. 175–91.
- Authors
- Campodonico, C., Varese, F., & Berry, K.
- Affiliations
- University of Lancashire (GB)
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Campodonico, Carolina
- Venue
- BMC Psychiatry
- Published
- 2022-03-24
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 213-213
- ISSN
- 1471-244X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8944047
- OpenAlex
- W4220938759
- Cited by
- 49
- References
- 70
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 2
- FWCI
- 6.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMC Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- CLOK (University of Central Lancashire) (acceptedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- University of Manchester
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- psychosis, trauma, interpersonal trauma, trauma disclosure, service user perspectives, psychotic symptoms, quality of life, trauma-informed care, mental health deterioration, self-blame
- MeSH terms
- Emotions, Humans, Mental Health, Psychotic Disorders, Quality of Life, Qualitative Research
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