Abstract
This study investigated the contribution of meta-cognitive beliefs and Early Maladptive Schemas (EMSs) to early psychosis in order to test a cognitive model of the positive symptoms of psychosis that emphasises the contribution of self-knowledge in the misinterpretation of intrusions into awareness (Morrison, 2001). Based on previous findings, it was hypothesised that people with recent onset psychosis who experienced positive symptoms would obtain higher scores on measures of maladaptive meta-cognitive beliefs and EMSs than a non-psychiatric control group. It was also hypothesised that severity of hallucinations would be related to specific meta-cognitive beliefs relating to the uncontrollability and danger of thoughts, and persecutory delusions would be associated with EMSs relating to mistrust/abuse and vulnerability to harm. The Meta-cognitions Questionnaire (MCQ) and Young’s Schema Questionnaire (YSQ) were administered to 20 individuals with recent onset psychosis and 20 closely matched non-psychiatric control participants. The early psychosis group obtained significantly higher scores on the cognitive confidence dimension of the MCQ and the emotional deprivation item of the YSQ. There were no significant differences between the groups on other dimensions of the measures. The results indicated that there was little relationship between specific positive symptoms and meta-cognitive beliefs and EMSs. However, this must be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size. The implications of these findings for Morrison’s cognitive model of the positive symptoms of psychosis, and psychological interventions in early psychosis are discussed. The contribution of the use of a closely matched non-psychiatric control group to these findings is also considered.