Sleep across the psychosis continuum and its relationship to paranoid thinking

• Main Author: Rehman, Aliyah
• Published: University of Glasgow 2018
• Subjects: BF Psychology
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.754401

Background: The present thesis sought to explore the relationship between sleep and paranoia, and investigate what factors mediate this relationship. The research was conducted at different levels, and in different groups including healthy members of the general population, people with a diagnosis of psychosis and clinicians. Method: in chapter 3, a cross-sectional study was conducted online to examine the relationships between sleep and paranoia in a non-clinical sample. Following this, chapter 4 outlines a systematic review that aimed to further understand how sleep has been investigated in clinical samples of people with psychosis. Next, chapter 5 examined the relationship between sleep disturbance and paranoia in a clinical sample using novel experience sampling methodologies. Finally, chapter 6 explored clinician perceptions of sleep problems in people with psychosis. Results: chapter 3 found evidence for a mediation model whereby sleep predicted paranoia, and this relationship was mediated by negative emotions, alexithymia and perceptual anomalies. Chapter 4 revealed that there is a range of methodologies used to assess and measure sleep and identified areas of bias. Chapter 5 found no relationship between sleep and paranoia in a clinical sample of people with psychosis. Finally, chapter 6 found that clinicians are fully aware of the range and types of sleep problems in people with psychosis but lack the training and skills to treat sleep problems. Discussion: Overall, the relationship between sleep and paranoia is inconsistent. Sleep disturbances are common and should be treated in people with psychosis. More work is required to develop effective intervention strategies to address the range and type of sleep disturbances found in people with psychosis.