ArticlePsychiatry research2019
Adult report of childhood imaginary companions and adversity relates to concurrent prodromal psychosis symptoms.
Article in Psychiatry research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Childhood predictors of cluster A personality disorder traits in adolescence: a seven-wave birth cohort study.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- A cross-national study examining imaginary companions and face pareidolia in British and Chinese adults.PloS one · 2026Article
- Cognitive-Developmental Mechanisms in Hallucinations.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2025Review
- Autistic children who create imaginary companions: Evidence of social benefits.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
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Abstract
Hallucination and dissociation have been found to be associated with imaginary friend play in childhood (CIC). Past studies have not investigated how this play relates to adult prodromal symptoms or how childhood adversity mediates the relationship. CIC play was examined in 278 participants, 18-24 years. CIC status predicted prodromal symptoms of hallucination only, whereas childhood adversity predicted all other symptoms. Mediation analysis found CIC's relation to hallucination symptoms was partially mediated by childhood adversity. Findings fit with views that CIC are a positive childhood experience which may convert to a negative developmental trajectory through the impact of childhood adversity.
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