persecutory delusions, emotional distress and aggression: an experimental analoge study

Patients with psychotic properties as in schizophrenia, have more risk to
become violent. It seems that especially positive symptoms in these patients
result in more violent behavior. It is assumed that these patients have
persecutory delusions in particular. Maybe it is the case that the emotional
distress that follows the persecutory delusions are an important factor in the
aggressionsion of these patients.
The Persecutory Ideation Questionnaire (PIQ) is a validaded scale especially
developed to measure persecutory ideation in a non-clinical sample.
The entire study (A and B) is meant to studie the relationschip between
[ersecutory delusions, emotional distress and aggression. The fist objective
the study is to investigate te psychometric properties of the Persecutory
Ideation Questionnaire in Dutch (Study A).
Study B will study the role of emotional ditsress in the relationship of
persequtory delusions and aggression in more detail.

Studie A:
1. To study the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the PIQ in a
non-clinical and clinical sample.
2. to study the relationship of persecutory delusions and aggression in a
non-clinical and clinical sample.

Studie B:
3. To test the idea that people who score high on the PIQ are more agressive
than people that score low on the PIQ. geoperationaliseerd als de reactie op
het the computer task.

4.To test the idea that people who score high on the PIQ have a higer
testosteron level afgter the teask than people that score low on the PIQ.

5. To test the idea that in the group which scores high on the PIQ the
agression is modulated by psychological, physiological and hormonal distress.
That means, to test the relationship between distress and aggression (reaction
on the computer task and en testosterone level after the task).

Study A is a observational study by means of use of questionnaires.

Study B is een quasy-experimental study, because the groups are not randomised.

In studie B the students have to do a computertask for assessing the rate of
aggression. In addition they have to give salivary samples to determine
cortisol and testosteron levels. Also, during the task we will assess their
hart rate, respiration, skin conductance and bloodpressure.

there are no risks for the participants in this study. One burden of
participating in the study is filling in the questionnaires and investment of
time. Only non-invasive measures wil take place.