Psychotic-like experiences, emotional and behavioral problems and coping strategies in nonclinic adolescents

Abstract

Individuals who reported psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are at increased risk for future clinical psychotic disorders. Furthermore, those with PLES report more emotional problems and less effective coping strategies. The main goal of the present study was to compare the emotional and behavioral problems and the coping strategies used by adolescents with and without PLEs. In addition, the relationship between the emotional and behavioral problems and the coping strategies in adolescents with PLEs was explored. A total of 1,713 nonclinical adolescents participated in the study, 832 males (48.6 %), with a mean age of 14.7 years (SD=1.7). Participants with PLEs presented a greater number of behavioral and emotional problems in comparison to those participants who did not report such experiences. Likewise, adolescents with PLEs used Avoidance coping strategies more frequently and Positive coping strategies less frequently in comparison to the adolescents without PLEs. The emotional and behavioral problems were found to be positively related to Avoidance coping and negatively related to Positive coping strategies in the adolescents with PLEs. These findings converge with data found in previous studies of both patients with schizophreniaand psychosis-prone individuals and have clear implications toward the establishment of prevention and early detection strategies in high-risk individuals