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Social networks and support in first-episode psychosis: exploring the role of loneliness and anxiety

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate social support and network features in people with first-episode psychosis, and to examine anxiety as a possible mediator between loneliness and a rating of paranoia.

Method

Thirty-eight people with first-episode psychosis were recruited for a cross-sectional study. Self-report questionnaires and structured interviews assessed symptoms, functioning, and qualitative social network and support features. A mood-induction task involved watching anxiety-inducing pictures on a computer screen. Visual analogue scales assessed changes in paranoia, anxiety and loneliness and a mediation analysis was conducted.

Results

One-third of the sample (34 %) had no confidant [95 % CI (18.4, 50.0 %)]. The average number of weekly contacts was 3.9, with 2.6 lonely days. Poor perceived social support, loneliness and the absence of a confidant were strongly associated with psychosis and depressive symptoms (0.35 < rs < 0.60). The association between loneliness and paranoia was mediated through anxiety (ab = 0.43, z = 3.5; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Even at first episode, a large proportion of people with psychosis have poor perceived support, no confidant and report several lonely days a week. Patients without a confidant appear to be more susceptible to feeling lonely and anxious. Anxiety may be one pathway through which loneliness affects psychosis. Interventions which focus on this are indicated.

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Notes

  1. www.gettyimages.com.

  2. www.psychopy.org.

  3. Paranoia was broadly defined as “feeling a sense of threat” and clarified whenever participants were unclear to the terms.

  4. The Sobel test [37] tests the indirect effect the independent variable has on the dependent variable via the mediator. Bootstrapping is recommended for inference about indirect effects, especially in small to moderate sample sizes (20–80) [36, 38].

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (Grant number: WT087417) and the Department of Health via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Specialist Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health award to South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London. Craig Morgan is supported by funding from the Medical Research Council (Ref: G0500817), Wellcome Trust (Grant number: WT087417) and European Union (European Community’s Seventh Framework Program (grant agreement No. HEALTH-F2-2009-241909) (Project EU-GEI)).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. South London Maudsely NHS Foundation Trust, Anxiety Disorders Residential Unit, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Road, London, BR3 3BX, UK

    Oliver Sündermann

  2. Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    Oliver Sündermann, Juliana Onwumere, Fergus Kane & Elizabeth Kuipers

  3. Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    Craig Morgan

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  1. Oliver Sündermann
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  2. Juliana Onwumere
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  3. Fergus Kane
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  4. Craig Morgan
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  5. Elizabeth Kuipers
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Correspondence to Oliver Sündermann.

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Sündermann, O., Onwumere, J., Kane, F. et al. Social networks and support in first-episode psychosis: exploring the role of loneliness and anxiety. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 49, 359–366 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0754-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0754-3

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