Paranoid thinking as a function of minority group status and intersectionality: An international examination of the role of negative beliefs
Paranoid thinking as a function of minority group status and intersectionality: An international examination of the role of negative beliefs
Background
Paranoia is higher in minority group individuals, especially those reporting intersecting aspects of difference. High negative and low positive self and other beliefs, and low social rank, are predictive of paranoia overtime; however, data are typically from majority group participants. This study examined whether social defeat or healthy cultural mistrust best characterizes paranoia in minority groups.
Study Design
Using cross-sectional, survey design, with a large (n = 2510) international sample, moderation analyses (PROCESS) examined whether self and other beliefs, and perceived social rank, operate similarly or differently in minority vs majority group participants. Specifically, we tested whether beliefs moderated the influence of minority group, and intersecting aspects of difference, on paranoia.
Study Results
Paranoia was consistently higher in participants from minority vs majority groups and level of paranoid thinking was significantly higher at each level of the intersectionality index. Negative self/other beliefs were associated with elevated paranoia in all participants. However, in support of the notion of healthy cultural mistrust, low social rank, and low positive self/other beliefs were significantly associated with paranoia in majority group participants but unrelated to paranoia in respective minority group members.
Conclusions
Although mixed, our findings signal the need to consider healthy cultural mistrust when examining paranoia in minority groups and bring into question whether “paranoia” accurately describes the experiences of marginalized individuals, at least at low levels of severity. Further research on paranoia in minority groups is crucial to developing culturally appropriate ways of understanding people’s experiences in the context of victimization, discrimination, and difference.
minority group, negative beliefs, paranoia, positive beliefs, social rank
1078-1087
Kingston, Jessica
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Schlier, Bjorn
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Lincoln, Tania
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Gaudiano, Brandon
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Morris, Eric
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Phiri, Peter
8b05c97e-9440-4b1b-af75-1de427209891
Ellett, Lyn
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4 July 2023
Kingston, Jessica
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Schlier, Bjorn
2dee57c2-0086-4a46-8c8b-d3932b096181
Lincoln, Tania
d39a21b8-136d-4e12-bcd8-1c5544d3ab4b
Gaudiano, Brandon
102a27a1-8c4b-421c-b844-40859dfbc0e4
Morris, Eric
65bb50e7-f95b-4de4-b584-34ece9e81daa
Phiri, Peter
8b05c97e-9440-4b1b-af75-1de427209891
Ellett, Lyn
96482ea6-04b6-4a50-a7ec-ae0a3abc20ca
Kingston, Jessica, Schlier, Bjorn, Lincoln, Tania, Gaudiano, Brandon, Morris, Eric, Phiri, Peter and Ellett, Lyn
(2023)
Paranoid thinking as a function of minority group status and intersectionality: An international examination of the role of negative beliefs.
Schizophrenia Bulletin, 49 (4), .
(doi:10.1093/schbul/sbad027).
Abstract
Background
Paranoia is higher in minority group individuals, especially those reporting intersecting aspects of difference. High negative and low positive self and other beliefs, and low social rank, are predictive of paranoia overtime; however, data are typically from majority group participants. This study examined whether social defeat or healthy cultural mistrust best characterizes paranoia in minority groups.
Study Design
Using cross-sectional, survey design, with a large (n = 2510) international sample, moderation analyses (PROCESS) examined whether self and other beliefs, and perceived social rank, operate similarly or differently in minority vs majority group participants. Specifically, we tested whether beliefs moderated the influence of minority group, and intersecting aspects of difference, on paranoia.
Study Results
Paranoia was consistently higher in participants from minority vs majority groups and level of paranoid thinking was significantly higher at each level of the intersectionality index. Negative self/other beliefs were associated with elevated paranoia in all participants. However, in support of the notion of healthy cultural mistrust, low social rank, and low positive self/other beliefs were significantly associated with paranoia in majority group participants but unrelated to paranoia in respective minority group members.
Conclusions
Although mixed, our findings signal the need to consider healthy cultural mistrust when examining paranoia in minority groups and bring into question whether “paranoia” accurately describes the experiences of marginalized individuals, at least at low levels of severity. Further research on paranoia in minority groups is crucial to developing culturally appropriate ways of understanding people’s experiences in the context of victimization, discrimination, and difference.
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Minority group status and paranoia text SB R&R 16.02.23
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Accepted/In Press date: 24 February 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 21 March 2023
Published date: 4 July 2023
Additional Information:
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Keywords:
minority group, negative beliefs, paranoia, positive beliefs, social rank
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 475649
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/475649
ISSN: 0586-7614
PURE UUID: f44f98d9-c901-49eb-8e04-ecafc9828028
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Date deposited: 23 Mar 2023 17:44
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 07:42
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Contributors
Author:
Jessica Kingston
Author:
Bjorn Schlier
Author:
Tania Lincoln
Author:
Brandon Gaudiano
Author:
Eric Morris
Author:
Peter Phiri
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