IQ and subclinical psychosis: The role of psychosocial stressors and core schemata

Veronica Sandroni; Andrei Szöke; Hugo Peyre; Silvia Amoretti; Celso Arango; Miquel Bernardo; Cristina Marta Del-Ben; Marta Di Forti; Laura Ferraro; Mohamed Lajnef; Marion Leboyer; Pierre-Michel Llorca; Carmen Moreno; Mara Parellada; Robin M Murray; Jean-Romain Richard; Bart P F Rutten; Jean-Paul Selten; Lucia Sideli; Ilaria Tarricone; Andrea Tortelli; Sarah Tosato; Jim van Os; Franck Schürhoff; Baptiste Pignon

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2026.07.015

IQ and subclinical psychosis: The role of psychosocial stressors and core schemata

Veronica Sandroni^*
, Andrei Szöke
, Hugo Peyre
, Silvia Amoretti
, Celso Arango
, Miquel Bernardo
, Cristina Marta Del-Ben^*
, Marta Di Forti^*
, Laura Ferraro
, Mohamed Lajnef
, Marion Leboyer
, Pierre-Michel Llorca
, Carmen Moreno
, Mara Parellada
, Robin M Murray
, Jean-Romain Richard
, Bart P F Rutten
, Jean-Paul Selten
, Lucia Sideli
, Ilaria Tarricone

Andrea Tortelli, Sarah Tosato, Jim van Os, Franck Schürhoff, Baptiste Pignon

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Previous research in both clinical and non-clinical populations has suggested an association between intelligence quotient (IQ) and psychosis. The social defeat hypothesis posits that low status and repeated humiliation increase the risk of psychosis. The present study investigated the relationship between IQ and subclinical psychosis in the general population, while also examining the potential mediating and confounding roles of psychosocial stressors and core schemata.

STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed data from 1497 healthy controls in the EU-GEI dataset, a multicenter study conducted across six countries. IQ and the positive dimension of subclinical psychosis (measured by the positive dimension of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences questionnaire) were analyzed using linear regression models adjusting for age, sex, childhood trauma, stressful life events, and core schemata (positive and negative schemata). Mediation analysis was conducted to explore indirect effects.

STUDY RESULTS: IQ was associated with subclinical psychosis. The results remained statistically significant after adjustment for several confounders. In the mediation analysis, IQ had no total or direct effect, but a small negative indirect effect through negative-other schemata (ß = -0.040; 95% Confidence Interval: -0.55, -0.024), childhood trauma (ß = -0.029; 95% CI -0.042, -0.016), negative-self schemata (ß = -0.009; 95% CI -0.017, -0.001), and stressful life events (ß = -0.012; 95% CI -0.021, -0.003).

CONCLUSION: These findings support the idea that cognitive vulnerability is associated with an increased risk of subclinical psychotic symptoms, with psychosocial stressors and core schemata possibly playing a mediating role, in line with the social defeat hypothesis.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	130-137
Number of pages	8
Journal	Schizophrenia Research
Volume	296
Early online date	17 Jul 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2026.07.015
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 17 Jul 2026

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Sandroni, V., Szöke, A., Peyre, H., Amoretti, S., Arango, C., Bernardo, M., Del-Ben, C. M., Di Forti, M., Ferraro, L., Lajnef, M., Leboyer, M., Llorca, P.-M., Moreno, C., Parellada, M., Murray, R. M., Richard, J.-R., Rutten, B. P. F., Selten, J.-P., Sideli, L., ... Pignon, B. (2026). IQ and subclinical psychosis: The role of psychosocial stressors and core schemata. Schizophrenia Research, 296, 130-137. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2026.07.015

@article{b5a4f63c22924e7da00f8e2ca3999a1c,

title = "IQ and subclinical psychosis: The role of psychosocial stressors and core schemata",

abstract = "BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Previous research in both clinical and non-clinical populations has suggested an association between intelligence quotient (IQ) and psychosis. The social defeat hypothesis posits that low status and repeated humiliation increase the risk of psychosis. The present study investigated the relationship between IQ and subclinical psychosis in the general population, while also examining the potential mediating and confounding roles of psychosocial stressors and core schemata.STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed data from 1497 healthy controls in the EU-GEI dataset, a multicenter study conducted across six countries. IQ and the positive dimension of subclinical psychosis (measured by the positive dimension of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences questionnaire) were analyzed using linear regression models adjusting for age, sex, childhood trauma, stressful life events, and core schemata (positive and negative schemata). Mediation analysis was conducted to explore indirect effects.STUDY RESULTS: IQ was associated with subclinical psychosis. The results remained statistically significant after adjustment for several confounders. In the mediation analysis, IQ had no total or direct effect, but a small negative indirect effect through negative-other schemata ({\ss} = -0.040; 95\% Confidence Interval: -0.55, -0.024), childhood trauma ({\ss} = -0.029; 95\% CI -0.042, -0.016), negative-self schemata ({\ss} = -0.009; 95\% CI -0.017, -0.001), and stressful life events ({\ss} = -0.012; 95\% CI -0.021, -0.003).CONCLUSION: These findings support the idea that cognitive vulnerability is associated with an increased risk of subclinical psychotic symptoms, with psychosocial stressors and core schemata possibly playing a mediating role, in line with the social defeat hypothesis.",

author = "Veronica Sandroni and Andrei Sz{\"o}ke and Hugo Peyre and Silvia Amoretti and Celso Arango and Miquel Bernardo and Del-Ben, \{Cristina Marta\} and \{Di Forti\}, Marta and Laura Ferraro and Mohamed Lajnef and Marion Leboyer and Pierre-Michel Llorca and Carmen Moreno and Mara Parellada and Murray, \{Robin M\} and Jean-Romain Richard and Rutten, \{Bart P F\} and Jean-Paul Selten and Lucia Sideli and Ilaria Tarricone and Andrea Tortelli and Sarah Tosato and \{van Os\}, Jim and Franck Sch{\"u}rhoff and Baptiste Pignon",

note = "Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2026. Published by Elsevier B.V.",

year = "2026",

month = jul,

day = "17",

doi = "10.1016/j.schres.2026.07.015",

language = "English",

volume = "296",

pages = "130--137",

journal = "Schizophrenia Research",

issn = "0920-9964",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

Sandroni, V, Szöke, A, Peyre, H, Amoretti, S, Arango, C, Bernardo, M, Del-Ben, CM, Di Forti, M, Ferraro, L, Lajnef, M, Leboyer, M, Llorca, P-M, Moreno, C, Parellada, M, Murray, RM, Richard, J-R, Rutten, BPF, Selten, J-P, Sideli, L, Tarricone, I, Tortelli, A, Tosato, S, van Os, J, Schürhoff, F & Pignon, B 2026, 'IQ and subclinical psychosis: The role of psychosocial stressors and core schemata', Schizophrenia Research, vol. 296, pp. 130-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2026.07.015

TY - JOUR

T1 - IQ and subclinical psychosis

T2 - The role of psychosocial stressors and core schemata

AU - Sandroni, Veronica

AU - Szöke, Andrei

AU - Peyre, Hugo

AU - Amoretti, Silvia

AU - Arango, Celso

AU - Bernardo, Miquel

AU - Del-Ben, Cristina Marta

AU - Di Forti, Marta

AU - Ferraro, Laura

AU - Lajnef, Mohamed

AU - Leboyer, Marion

AU - Llorca, Pierre-Michel

AU - Moreno, Carmen

AU - Parellada, Mara

AU - Murray, Robin M

AU - Richard, Jean-Romain

AU - Rutten, Bart P F

AU - Selten, Jean-Paul

AU - Sideli, Lucia

AU - Tarricone, Ilaria

AU - Tortelli, Andrea

AU - Tosato, Sarah

AU - van Os, Jim

AU - Schürhoff, Franck

AU - Pignon, Baptiste

PY - 2026/7/17

Y1 - 2026/7/17

N2 - BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Previous research in both clinical and non-clinical populations has suggested an association between intelligence quotient (IQ) and psychosis. The social defeat hypothesis posits that low status and repeated humiliation increase the risk of psychosis. The present study investigated the relationship between IQ and subclinical psychosis in the general population, while also examining the potential mediating and confounding roles of psychosocial stressors and core schemata.STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed data from 1497 healthy controls in the EU-GEI dataset, a multicenter study conducted across six countries. IQ and the positive dimension of subclinical psychosis (measured by the positive dimension of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences questionnaire) were analyzed using linear regression models adjusting for age, sex, childhood trauma, stressful life events, and core schemata (positive and negative schemata). Mediation analysis was conducted to explore indirect effects.STUDY RESULTS: IQ was associated with subclinical psychosis. The results remained statistically significant after adjustment for several confounders. In the mediation analysis, IQ had no total or direct effect, but a small negative indirect effect through negative-other schemata (ß = -0.040; 95% Confidence Interval: -0.55, -0.024), childhood trauma (ß = -0.029; 95% CI -0.042, -0.016), negative-self schemata (ß = -0.009; 95% CI -0.017, -0.001), and stressful life events (ß = -0.012; 95% CI -0.021, -0.003).CONCLUSION: These findings support the idea that cognitive vulnerability is associated with an increased risk of subclinical psychotic symptoms, with psychosocial stressors and core schemata possibly playing a mediating role, in line with the social defeat hypothesis.

AB - BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Previous research in both clinical and non-clinical populations has suggested an association between intelligence quotient (IQ) and psychosis. The social defeat hypothesis posits that low status and repeated humiliation increase the risk of psychosis. The present study investigated the relationship between IQ and subclinical psychosis in the general population, while also examining the potential mediating and confounding roles of psychosocial stressors and core schemata.STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed data from 1497 healthy controls in the EU-GEI dataset, a multicenter study conducted across six countries. IQ and the positive dimension of subclinical psychosis (measured by the positive dimension of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences questionnaire) were analyzed using linear regression models adjusting for age, sex, childhood trauma, stressful life events, and core schemata (positive and negative schemata). Mediation analysis was conducted to explore indirect effects.STUDY RESULTS: IQ was associated with subclinical psychosis. The results remained statistically significant after adjustment for several confounders. In the mediation analysis, IQ had no total or direct effect, but a small negative indirect effect through negative-other schemata (ß = -0.040; 95% Confidence Interval: -0.55, -0.024), childhood trauma (ß = -0.029; 95% CI -0.042, -0.016), negative-self schemata (ß = -0.009; 95% CI -0.017, -0.001), and stressful life events (ß = -0.012; 95% CI -0.021, -0.003).CONCLUSION: These findings support the idea that cognitive vulnerability is associated with an increased risk of subclinical psychotic symptoms, with psychosocial stressors and core schemata possibly playing a mediating role, in line with the social defeat hypothesis.

U2 - 10.1016/j.schres.2026.07.015

DO - 10.1016/j.schres.2026.07.015

M3 - Article

C2 - 42468291

SN - 0920-9964

VL - 296

SP - 130

EP - 137

JO - Schizophrenia Research

JF - Schizophrenia Research

ER -

IQ and subclinical psychosis: The role of psychosocial stressors and core schemata

Abstract

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