PARANOIA IN THE GENERAL POPULATION: A REVISED VERSION OF THE GENERAL PARANOIA SCALE FOR ADOLESCENTS

European Scientific Journal, Aug 2014

The aim of the current study was to validate the General Paranoia Scale for Portuguese Adolescents population (GPS-A). This scale assesses the paranoid ideation in non-clinical population. Results from a confirmatory factor analysis of the scale on 1218 youths confirmed an alternative model to the one-dimensional model proposed by Fenigstein and Vanable (1992) comprising three different dimensions (Mistrust thoughts, persecutory ideas and depreciation). This alternative model presented a good fit: χ2 (162)= 727.200, p = .000; CFI = .925; RMSEA = .054, P(rmsea ≤0.05) = .000; PCFI = .788; AIC = 863.200. All items presented adequate factor loadings (λij ≥0.5) and individual reliability ((λij)2 ≥0.25). Further data analysis on the scale revealed that the GPS-A is an adequate assessment tool for adolescents, with good psychometric characteristics and high internal consistency.

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PARANOIA IN THE GENERAL POPULATION: A REVISED VERSION OF THE GENERAL PARANOIA SCALE FOR ADOLESCENTS

European Scientific Journal August 2014 edition vol.10 PARANOIA IN THE GENERAL POPULATION: A REVISED VERSION OF THE GENERAL PARANOIA SCALE FOR ADOLESCENTS Celia Barreto Carvalho 0 0 Department of Educational Sciences, University of Azores , Portugal; CINEICC , Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra , Portugal Vera Pereira, MA Marina Sousa , MA Department of Educational Sciences, University of Azores, Portugal Carolina da Motta, MA Department of Educational Sciences, University of Azores Portugal; CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra , Portugal Jose Pinto-Gouveia, PhD CINEICC , Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal Suzana Nunes Caldeira, PhD Ermelindo Bernardo Peixoto, PhD Department of Educational Sciences, University of Azores, Portugal Allan Fenigstein, PhD Department of Psychology, Samuel Mather Hall, Kenyon College , Gambier, Ohio The aim of the current study was to validate the General Paranoia Scale for Portuguese Adolescents population (GPS-A). This scale assesses the paranoid ideation in non-clinical population. Results from a confirmatory factor analysis of the scale on 1218 youths confirmed an alternative model to the one-dimensional model proposed by Fenigstein and Vanable (1992) comprising three different dimensions (Mistrust thoughts, persecutory ideas and depreciation). This alternative model presented a good fit: 2(162)= 727.200, p = .000; CFI = .925; RMSEA = .054, P(rmsea 0.05) = .000; PCFI = .788; AIC = 863.200. All items presented adequate factor loadings (ij 0.5) and individual reliability ((ij)2 0.25). Further data analysis on the - scale revealed that the GPS-A is an adequate assessment tool for adolescents, with good psychometric characteristics and high internal consistency. Introduction A large body of research has emphasized the social nature of paranoid ideation, and how it can be described by biased perceptions observed in the relationships established between individuals (Fenigstein, Scheier & Buss, 1975 cit in Fenigstein & Vanable, 1992). Paranoid ideation has then been conceptualized as a cognitive process (Fenigstein & Vanable, 1992; Verdoux & van Os, 2002; Combs, Michael & Penn, 2006; Campbell & Morrinson, 2007; vanOs, Linscott, Myin-Germeys, Delespaul & Krabbendam, 2009; Melo, 2010; Michael, Shaffner & Shultze, 2011) used by individuals to cope with the social world. Fenigstein & Vanable (1992) distinguished subclinical paranoia as a form of thought marked by exaggerated self-reference and stable tendencies to Mistrust, hold grudges or resent others, and a belief in external control or influence (Fenigstein & Vanable, 1992; Combs & Penn, 2004) that can occur in normal daily behavior. On the other hand, clinical paranoia includes persecutory delirious and Mistrust. With the exception of a few studies exploring the processing of social information in paranoia (e.g. Combs & Penn, 2004), the majority of the studies investigates only the cognitive abilities and do not include socialcognitive measures of processing. Individuals explain everyday events and their own behavior by engaging and manifesting some degree of paranoid ideation (Eaton, Ramanoski, Anthony & Nestad, 1991; Fenigstein & Vanable, 1992; Ellet, Lopes & Chadwick, 2003; Freeman, Garety, Bebbington, Smith, Rollinson, Fowler, et al., 2005; Binbay, Drukker, Elbi, Aksu, Tanik & Ozkinay, et al., 2011). Bentall, Kinderman & Kaney (1994) suggested that paranoia is related to external attributional styles, as a defense against negative threat to self and, therefore, related to social comparison, social submission and external shame behaviors (Fenigstein & Vanable, 1992; Freeman et al., 2005; Gilbert, Boxall, Cheung & Irons, 2005; Combs, Michael & Penn, 2006; Castilho, Pinto-Gouveia & Duarte, 2013; Barreto Carvalho, PintoGouveia, Peixoto & da Motta, 2014a, Barretto Carvalho et al., 2014b). In accordance with these studies, Martin & Penn (2001) and Freeman et al. (2005) found that avoidance and fear of negative evaluation were two of the best predictors of paranoid ideation. These conceptualizations are in accordance to the perspective of a continuum between normal and pathological paranoia, and to the acceptance of paranoia as a common experience in the general population (Beck, Freeman & Associates, 1990, van Os, Hanssen, Bijl & Raveli, 2000; Freeman, et al., 2002; Verdoux & vanOs, 2002; Ellet, Lopes & Chadwick, 2003; Freeman, et al., 2005; Esterberg & Compton, 2009; Yung, Nelson, Baker, Buckby, Baksheev & Cosgrave, 2009; Freeman, Pugh, Vorontsova, Antley & Slater, 2010; Binbay, et al., 2011; Barreto Carvalho, et al., 2014a, 2014b). For this reason, paranoia is a phenomena that should also be explored in non-clinical populations (Freeman et al., 2005; Barreto Carvalho et al., 2014a, 2014b), and not be exclusively abridged by severe psychopathological entities. Freeman et al., (2005), referred that about 1 (...truncated)


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Celia Barreto Carvalho, Vera Pereira, Marina Sousa, Carolina da Motta, Jose Pinto-Gouveia, Suzana Nunes Caldeira, Ermelindo Bernardo Peixoto, Allan Fenigstein. PARANOIA IN THE GENERAL POPULATION: A REVISED VERSION OF THE GENERAL PARANOIA SCALE FOR ADOLESCENTS, European Scientific Journal, 2014, 23,