---
title: "Psych News Alert: Sexual Trauma Linked to Psychosis Risk in Those Already at High Risk"
description: Sexual trauma may be an important contributing factor in development of psychosis for individuals who are already at “ultra high risk,” acco...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_85903384-Jun-24-2025-03-49-25-2482-PM.jpg
---

 6/24/24 11:16 AM

# Sexual Trauma Linked to Psychosis Risk in Those Already at High Risk

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/sexual-trauma-linked-to-psychosis-risk.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/sexual-trauma-linked-to-psychosis-risk.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/sexual-trauma-linked-to-psychosis-risk.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/sexual-trauma-linked-to-psychosis-risk.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/sexual-trauma-linked-to-psychosis-risk.html)

| [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_85903384-Jun-24-2025-03-49-24-3952-PM.jpg?width=200&height=198&name=shutterstock_85903384-Jun-24-2025-03-49-24-3952-PM.jpg)](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_85903384-Jun-24-2025-03-49-24-3952-PM.jpg) |  |
| --- | --- |

Sexual trauma may be an important contributing factor in development of psychosis for individuals who are already at “ultra high risk,” according to a new report online in *Schizophrenia Bulletin*. Researchers examined the link between experience of childhood trauma and development of a psychotic disorder in individuals deemed to be at “ultra high risk” for psychosis. (That group included individuals who had a history of brief self-limited psychotic symptoms that spontaneously resolve in the previous 12 months or genetic vulnerability to psychosis along with a drop in functioning over the previous 12 months.)

Participants completed a comprehensive follow-up assessment battery, which included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), a self-report questionnaire that assesses experience of several types of childhood trauma, including sexual trauma. Data were available on 233 individuals; the main outcome measure was conversion to psychosis. Total CTQ trauma score was not associated with transition to psychosis, but sexual abuse *was *associated with transition to psychosis. Those with high sexual abuse scores were estimated to have a transition risk 2–4 times that of those with low scores.

Clinicians “should be routinely assessing previous sexual trauma in the `at-risk' population, because it may pose an increased risk for transition to a psychotic disorder,” the researchers said.

For more information about individuals deemed to be at high risk for psychosis see* Psychiatric News* [here](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=108641).

(Image: Lightspring/shutterstock.com)

[psychosis](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychosis), [childhood trauma](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/childhood-trauma), [ultra high risk](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ultra-high-risk), [sexual trauma](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/sexual-trauma)

## Related posts

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/child_hands_iStock-909399064-Jun-24-2025-03-29-28-9249-PM.jpg?height=200&name=child_hands_iStock-909399064-Jun-24-2025-03-29-28-9249-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/11/exposure-to-trauma-raises-risk-of.html)

[psychosis](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychosis), [psychotic experiences](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychotic-experiences), [JAMA Psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/jama-psychiatry), [trauma in childhood](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/trauma-in-childhood), [traumatic experiences](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/traumatic-experiences), [Jazz Croft](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/jazz-croft)

## [Exposure to Trauma Raises Risk of Psychotic Experiences by Age 18, Study Suggests](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/11/exposure-to-trauma-raises-risk-of.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 11/27/18 12:00 AM

Children and adolescents who are exposed to any kind of trauma before the age of 17 are more likely...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2018/11/exposure-to-trauma-raises-risk-of.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/teen_therapist_iStock-1455705071-4.jpg?height=200&name=teen_therapist_iStock-1455705071-4.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/02/many-individuals-at-ultra-high-risk-of.html)

[psychosis risk](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychosis-risk), [ultra high risk](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ultra-high-risk), [young adults](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/young-adults), [mental disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mental-disorders)

## [Many Individuals at Ultra-High Risk of Psychosis Also Have Persistent Non-Psychotic Symptoms](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/02/many-individuals-at-ultra-high-risk-of.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 2/21/24 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/02/many-individuals-at-ultra-high-risk-of.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/omega3_112261367-Jun-24-2025-09-46-07-0055-PM.jpg?height=200&name=omega3_112261367-Jun-24-2025-09-46-07-0055-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/08/omega-3s-may-reduce-long-term-risk-of.html)

[adolescents](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adolescents), [psychosis](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychosis), [William Carpenter](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/william-carpenter), [M.D.](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/m-d-), [omega-3](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/omega-3)

## [Omega-3s May Reduce Long-Term Risk of Progression to Psychotic Disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/08/omega-3s-may-reduce-long-term-risk-of.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 8/13/15 12:00 AM

A 12-week intervention with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) reduced the risk of...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/08/omega-3s-may-reduce-long-term-risk-of.html)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert",
    "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T15:49:49.259Z",
  "datePublished" : "2024-06-24T15:16:15.000Z",
  "headline" : "Psych News Alert: Sexual Trauma Linked to Psychosis Risk in Those Already at High Risk",
  "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_85903384-Jun-24-2025-03-49-25-2482-PM.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/03/sexual-trauma-linked-to-psychosis-risk.html",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg"
    }
  }
}
```