The roles of locus of control and self-esteem in hallucination- and delusion-proneness in a non-clinical sample

Possessing either an external locus of control (LOC) or low self-esteem (SE) has been demonstrated prospectively to predict schizophrenia onset. This may be due to the consequences of these qualities for stress perception and resultant cortisol release. However, research with non-clinical samples has shown that only individuals with a combination of low SE and an external LOC show a significant cortisol response in response to a stressor. The current study hypothesized that low SE and an external LOC would be associated with greater proneness to hallucination-like experiences and delusion-like beliefs in a non-clinical sample (N = 493) than any other combination of these variables. A multiple linear regression found that the interaction between SE and LOC was not a significant predictor of either hallucination-like experiences or delusion-like beliefs. In line with previous research, LOC was found to be a significant, albeit weak, predictor of hallucination-like experiences and delusion-like beliefs. Implications for future research are examined, in addition to possible interventions in prodromal psychosis.