Victimization in childhood may be associated with adult psychosis. This association was examined cross-sectional and longitudinal in the crucial developmental period of early adolescence.

Data were derived from standard health screenings of the Youth Health Care Divisions of the Municipal Health Services in Maastricht, the Netherlands. A self-report questionnaire was filled out by a total of 1290 adolescents to assess non-clinical psychotic experiences, as well as experiences of being bullied, sexual trauma and life events.

The cross-sectional study showed that unwanted sexual experiences and being bullied were strongly and independently associated with psychotic experiences. In the same sample, it was shown that sexual trauma increased the risk for psychotic symptoms two years later. Life events contributed to the risk for psychosis over time and psychosis in turn gave rise to new life events. No significant association with bullying was found after controlling for confounders.

These results suggest that reported associations between childhood victimization and adult psychosis can be understood in a developmental framework of onset of at-risk mental states in early adolescence. Early and later psychological stress, if severe, may impact on the risk for psychosis in adolescence trough mechanisms of person-environment interaction and correlation.