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Johnson, Madeleine, Bower, Joanne L. 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3485-391X and Reeve, Sarah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9374-0950
(2026)
Testing the mediating role of negative affect, affect intolerance, and dissociation in the relationship between sleep loss and psychotic experiences.
Journal of Psychiatric Research, 201.
pp. 207-214.
ISSN 0022-3956
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Abstract
Background and hypothesis: Sleep disturbances are known to causally contribute to psychotic experiences, with negative affect indicated as a mediator in previous research. However, other plausible related mechanisms such as affect intolerance and dissociative experiences have not been tested. We hypothesised that sleep restriction would increase psychotic experiences, with effects mediated by increases in negative affect, affect intolerance and dissociative experiences. Study design: A within-subjects, cross-over experimental study was conducted with 58 undergraduate participants, comparing sleep restriction (≤4 h sleep for one night) to standard sleep. Study results: In comparison to standard sleep, one night of sleep restriction resulted in significant increases in all psychotic experiences except grandiosity, as well as significant increases in all proposed mediators. Dissociative experiences (46.2%), and combined mediators (89.1%), substantially mediated the effect of reduced sleep on paranoia. Dissociative experiences also partially mediated the effect of reduced sleep on hallucinations (38.5%). No significant mediation effects were identified for cognitive disorganisation, anhedonia or distress from psychotic experiences. Conclusions: These findings extend the causal relationship between sleep loss and psychotic experiences as occurring after only one night of sleep restriction. They also identify a novel mechanism – dissociative experiences – as contributing towards both paranoia and hallucinations. Negative affect was supported as a mediating mechanism for paranoia, in line with existing research, however there was limited identification of mediating mechanisms for other psychotic experiences. The results emphasise the importance of further experimental research investigating the relationship between affective processes, particularly dissociative experiences, and specific symptoms of psychosis.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | dissociation,hallucinations,insomnia,mechanisms,paranoia,psychosis,psychiatry and mental health,biological psychiatry ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2738 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School |
| UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Mental Health and Social Care (fka Lifespan Health) |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jul 2026 09:40 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Jul 2026 05:33 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/103875 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2026.06.028 |
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