Future-Directed Thinking in First Episode Psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A case-control study of future-directed thinking in adults with first episode psychosis.
IRAS ID
125431
Contact name
Emmeline Goodby
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Holloway University of London
Research summary
A significant clinical concern in early psychosis is the risk of suicide, which is higher than in the general population. Self-reported hopelessness has been identified as a key risk factor for suicide in psychotic illness, yet little research has been conducted into the specific aspects of hopelessness that are involved. One aspect of hopelessness that has been demonstrated in individuals who self-harm is reduced ability to anticipate positive events in the future (positive ’future thinking’). No research has been conducted to date on future thinking in psychosis and its association with risk for suicide. The proposed research aims to investigate whether individuals with first episode psychosis show increased self-reported hopelessness and distinct patterns of future thinking compared with community controls. Within the psychosis group, the relationship between future thinking and suicide risk will also be examined. A greater understanding of future thinking in psychosis could aid the development of interventions to decrease suicide risk.
Research has also linked self-reported hopelessness with the negative symptoms of psychosis (such as lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities), indicating that an examination of the link between future thinking and negative symptoms by the proposed research may aid the development of interventions for this typically hard-to-treat aspect of psychosis.
This university-funded research will recruit individuals with early psychosis from early intervention teams in London and the East of England. Community controls matched for age and gender will be recruited from community settings such as GP surgeries and libraries. Participants will answer a series of questionnaires and interviews, with a maximum expected completion time of two hours. Future thinking will be measured using the Future Thinking Task, in which participants are asked to predict personally relevant events that will occur within a range of future time-frames. Negative symptoms and hopelessness will be measured using standardised tests.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/0876
Date of REC Opinion
13 Aug 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion