Arousal Predisposition as a Vulnerability Indicator for Psychosis: A General Population Online Stress Induction Study

Abstract EN

Explanatory models ascribe to arousability a central role for the development of psychotic symptoms.

Thus, a disposition to hyperarousal (i.e., increased arousal predisposition (AP)) may serve as an underlying vulnerability indicator for psychosis by interacting with stressors to cause symptoms.

In this case, AP, stress-response, and psychotic symptoms should be linked before the development of a diagnosable psychotic disorder.

We conducted a cross-sectional online study in a population sample ( N = 104 ; M age = 27.7 years, S D = 11.2 , range 18–70).

Participants rated their AP and subclinical psychotic symptoms.

Participants reported their stress-levels before and after two stress inductions including an arithmetic and a social stressor.

The participants with an increased AP generally felt more stressed.

However, AP was not associated with the specific stress-response.

As expected, positive psychotic symptoms were significantly associated with AP, but this was not mediated by general stress-levels.

Its association to subtle, nonclinical psychotic symptoms supports our assumption that AP could be a vulnerability indicator for psychosis.

The trait is easily accessible via a short self-report and could facilitate the identification of people at risk and be a promising target for early stress-management.

Further research is needed to clarify its predictive value for stress-responses.