"Trauma is only one of the many contributing factors in psychosis onset, and child loss is one particular trauma – therefore its singular influence was expected to be present but not overwhelming," they explained.
As for the mechanisms by which child loss may spur the onset of psychotic experiences, biologic diatheses-stress models suggest that the stress of child loss may contribute to dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in vulnerable individuals. This, in turn, can elicit hyperresponsive subcortical dopamine activity that may manifest as psychotic symptoms in some individuals.
Though limited by the small number of bereaved parents in the group reporting a lifetime psychotic experience, and the failure of nearly one-third of those who answered the survey to respond to the child loss item, the findings are important for numerous reasons. The data provide evidence of an association between trauma and psychosis that occurs after the typical age of onset, and they are clinically relevant with respect to planning treatment for adults who have lost a child, the investigators concluded.
Future prospective studies that focus on other later-life traumatic events to further evaluate associations between trauma exposure and psychosis onset across the life course and across forms of trauma exposure would be valuable, the investigators added.
Dr. DeVylder reported having no relevant financial disclosures.