View in EDS

The Occurrence of and Distress From Pathogenic Beliefs: Examining Pathways From Childhood Adversity to Psychopathology.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: The Occurrence of and Distress From Pathogenic Beliefs: Examining Pathways From Childhood Adversity to Psychopathology.
Authors: Silberschatz, George (AUTHOR), Luo, Xiaochen (AUTHOR), McCollum, James (AUTHOR), Kealy, David (AUTHOR)
Source: Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. Sep/Oct2025, Vol. 32 Issue 5, p1-13. 13p.
Subjects: Cross-sectional method, Statistical correlation, Psychological distress, Statistical significance, Mental illness, Parenting, Anxiety, Descriptive statistics, Psychological stress, Research methodology, Research, Interpersonal relations, Factor analysis, Confidence intervals, Data analysis software, Adverse childhood experiences, Pathological psychology, Mental depression
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
Abstract: Introduction: Pathogenic beliefs are dysfunctional beliefs that impede the pursuit of adaptive goals, which have been shown as key pathways between early childhood trauma and psychopathology. This study examined whether the occurrence of pathogenic beliefs and the distress from having pathogenic beliefs, which were assessed through the latest version of the pathogenic belief scale (PBS‐21) separately, would both mediate the childhood adversity‐outcome relationship, and whether reactivity of pathogenic beliefs (standardized difference between distress and occurrence) moderates them. Methods: A total of 390 adult participants with prior psychotherapy experience were recruited from the United Kingdom online. Participants completed self‐report measures assessing perceived adverse parenting, psychopathology (depression, anxiety, general distress and interpersonal problems) and pathogenic beliefs (occurrence, distress and reactivity). Results: Both occurrence and distress of pathogenic beliefs fully mediated the relationship between adverse parenting and depressive/anxiety symptoms and general distress, and partially mediated interpersonal problems. Reactivity significantly moderated the pathway from adverse parenting to pathogenetic beliefs. Individuals who reported more adverse parenting and were categorized as having higher reactivity were more likely to develop pathogenic beliefs and experience greater psychological distress. Discussion: These findings align with prior research showing that pathogenic beliefs are key in the association between childhood adversity and psychopathology. The study supports the validity of the PBS‐21 and demonstrates the value of assessing the occurrence of pathogenic beliefs and the distress from having these beliefs separately. Reactivity to pathogenic beliefs may serve as a clinically meaningful marker for identifying individuals with resilience and tailoring interventions accordingly. Summary: The subjective meanings attributed to early adverse experiences may be more predictive of subsequent psychopathology than the experiences themselves. In evaluating early traumatic or adverse events, clinicians need to evaluate and understand how the patient interpreted those events.A full understanding of pathogenic beliefs requires the clinician to evaluate both the occurrence of these beliefs and the distress associated with them, thereby allowing for the assessment of reactivity. The relationship between early adverse events and psychopathology tends to be stronger in individuals with high pathogenic belief reactivity, and these individuals may be more likely to benefit from interventions that reduce the distress associated with them.Assessing both the occurrence and distress associated with pathogenic beliefs can potentially provide more precise treatment outcome measurement. At the beginning of therapy, a patient who reported the occurrence of particular pathogenic beliefs and a high degree of distress associated with them may at the end of therapy still report being aware of the beliefs (occurrence) but feel little if any distress connected with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: pbh
DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
An: 188926253
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: The Occurrence of and Distress From Pathogenic Beliefs: Examining Pathways From Childhood Adversity to Psychopathology.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Silberschatz%2C+George%22">Silberschatz, George</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Luo%2C+Xiaochen%22">Luo, Xiaochen</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McCollum%2C+James%22">McCollum, James</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kealy%2C+David%22">Kealy, David</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Clinical+Psychology+%26+Psychotherapy%22">Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy</searchLink>. Sep/Oct2025, Vol. 32 Issue 5, p1-13. 13p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cross-sectional+method%22">Cross-sectional method</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Statistical+correlation%22">Statistical correlation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+distress%22">Psychological distress</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Statistical+significance%22">Statistical significance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+illness%22">Mental illness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parenting%22">Parenting</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anxiety%22">Anxiety</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+stress%22">Psychological stress</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+methodology%22">Research methodology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research%22">Research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interpersonal+relations%22">Interpersonal relations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Factor+analysis%22">Factor analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Confidence+intervals%22">Confidence intervals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Data+analysis+software%22">Data analysis software</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adverse+childhood+experiences%22">Adverse childhood experiences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pathological+psychology%22">Pathological psychology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+depression%22">Mental depression</searchLink>
– Name: SubjectGeographic
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom%22">United Kingdom</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Introduction: Pathogenic beliefs are dysfunctional beliefs that impede the pursuit of adaptive goals, which have been shown as key pathways between early childhood trauma and psychopathology. This study examined whether the occurrence of pathogenic beliefs and the distress from having pathogenic beliefs, which were assessed through the latest version of the pathogenic belief scale (PBS‐21) separately, would both mediate the childhood adversity‐outcome relationship, and whether reactivity of pathogenic beliefs (standardized difference between distress and occurrence) moderates them. Methods: A total of 390 adult participants with prior psychotherapy experience were recruited from the United Kingdom online. Participants completed self‐report measures assessing perceived adverse parenting, psychopathology (depression, anxiety, general distress and interpersonal problems) and pathogenic beliefs (occurrence, distress and reactivity). Results: Both occurrence and distress of pathogenic beliefs fully mediated the relationship between adverse parenting and depressive/anxiety symptoms and general distress, and partially mediated interpersonal problems. Reactivity significantly moderated the pathway from adverse parenting to pathogenetic beliefs. Individuals who reported more adverse parenting and were categorized as having higher reactivity were more likely to develop pathogenic beliefs and experience greater psychological distress. Discussion: These findings align with prior research showing that pathogenic beliefs are key in the association between childhood adversity and psychopathology. The study supports the validity of the PBS‐21 and demonstrates the value of assessing the occurrence of pathogenic beliefs and the distress from having these beliefs separately. Reactivity to pathogenic beliefs may serve as a clinically meaningful marker for identifying individuals with resilience and tailoring interventions accordingly. Summary: The subjective meanings attributed to early adverse experiences may be more predictive of subsequent psychopathology than the experiences themselves. In evaluating early traumatic or adverse events, clinicians need to evaluate and understand how the patient interpreted those events.A full understanding of pathogenic beliefs requires the clinician to evaluate both the occurrence of these beliefs and the distress associated with them, thereby allowing for the assessment of reactivity. The relationship between early adverse events and psychopathology tends to be stronger in individuals with high pathogenic belief reactivity, and these individuals may be more likely to benefit from interventions that reduce the distress associated with them.Assessing both the occurrence and distress associated with pathogenic beliefs can potentially provide more precise treatment outcome measurement. At the beginning of therapy, a patient who reported the occurrence of particular pathogenic beliefs and a high degree of distress associated with them may at the end of therapy still report being aware of the beliefs (occurrence) but feel little if any distress connected with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=188926253
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1002/cpp.70163
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 13
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Cross-sectional method
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistical correlation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological distress
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistical significance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mental illness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parenting
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anxiety
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological stress
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research methodology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interpersonal relations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Factor analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Confidence intervals
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Data analysis software
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Adverse childhood experiences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pathological psychology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mental depression
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: United Kingdom
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The Occurrence of and Distress From Pathogenic Beliefs: Examining Pathways From Childhood Adversity to Psychopathology.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Silberschatz, George
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Luo, Xiaochen
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: McCollum, James
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Kealy, David
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 09
              Text: Sep/Oct2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 10633995
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 32
            – Type: issue
              Value: 5
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
              Type: main
ResultId 1