Honings S, et al. - The aim of this prospective study was to determine whether psychosis predicts incident adult victimisation, or whether adult victimisation predicts incident psychosis. Findings revealed that psychosis and victimisation were interconnected throughout the life course. It was noted that childhood victimisation was connected to psychosis through two pathways: one direct and one indirect through adult victimisation. Psychosis and adult victimisation bidirectionally impact on each other in people without childhood victimisation.

Methods

• Using logistic regression analysis, the longitudinal association between baseline psychotic experiences and six-year incidence of adult victimisation was evaluated in a prospective general population cohort of 6646 adults.
• In addition, the relationship between baseline adult victimisation and six-year incidence of psychotic experiences was examined.
• The moderating effect of childhood victimisation on these bidirectional associations was analysed.

Results

• It was observed in the findings that psychotic experiences and childhood victimisation were both related to an increased risk of incident adult victimisation.
• However, this was through competing pathways, as proposed by a negative interaction between psychotic experiences and childhood victimisation.
• The outcomes showed that baseline adult victimisation and childhood victimisation both independently expanded the risk of incident psychotic experiences, yet there was no interaction between adult victimisation and childhood victimisation.