Recruiting

Paranoia Research

Sponsor:

Indiana University

Code:

NCT07460453

Conditions

Paranoia

Psychotic Disorders

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Guided Visual Imagery Task

Study Details

Brief summary:

Paranoia is a pattern of thinking in which people feel suspicious or believe others may want to harm them. It can occur in many people, not only those with a mental health diagnosis, and it can affect daily life, relationships, and overall well-being. Research has consistently shown that Black Americans report higher levels of paranoia than White Americans, even when they do not have a clinical diagnosis. However, the reasons for this difference are not well understood.

The goal of this study is to better understand why these differences exist. In the experimental part of the study, researchers will use a randomized design to test whether exposure to stressful experiences related to race leads to higher levels of paranoia among Black American participants. The study will also examine factors that may strengthen or weaken this effect, such as individual experiences and personal characteristics.

By identifying how stressful experiences related to race influence paranoia, this research aims to improve how paranoia is measured and understood across different groups. These findings may help researchers and clinicians use more accurate and culturally appropriate tools to assess psychosis-related experiences in diverse populations.

Conditions

Paranoia

Psychotic Disorders

Study ID

NCT07460453

Start date

Apr 13, 2026

Status verified date

Apr, 2026

Completion date

Jun 30, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jun 30, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Self-identify as non-Hispanic Black or African American
  • Currently reside in the United States
  • Speak and read English
  • Registered as a survey participant on the Prolific platform

Exclusion Criteria

  • Younger than 18 years of age
  • Do not self-identify as non-Hispanic Black or African American
  • Do not currently reside in the United States
  • Do not speak or read English
  • Not registered as a survey participant on the Prolific platform

Study Design

Enrollment

480 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Blatant Race-Related Adverse Experience Imagery

Participants are exposed to an audio-guided imagery scenario depicting a blatant race-related adverse experience. The guided imagery task instructs participants to vividly imagine a situation involving explicit racial hostility or discrimination. This intervention is designed to experimentally prime exposure to overt race-related social threat in a controlled setting.

experimental: Subtle Race-Related Adverse Experience Imagery

Participants are exposed to an audio-guided imagery scenario depicting a subtle race-related adverse experience, such as ambiguous or indirect racial bias. The guided imagery task instructs participants to imagine a situation involving covert or nuanced race-related social threat, consistent with commonly reported microaggressive experiences.

placebo comparator: Neutral Control Imagery

Participants are exposed to an audio-guided imagery scenario depicting a neutral, non-threatening experience unrelated to race or social evaluation. This condition serves as a control for engagement with the guided imagery task without exposure to race-related adverse content.

experimental: Social Exclusion Imagery

Participants listen to an audio-guided imagery scenario depicting social exclusion (e.g., being left out or rejected in a social context) without reference to race and are instructed to vividly imagine the situation. This condition isolates the effect of social threat/exclusion from race-specific content.

Interventions

Guided Visual Imagery Task

Participants complete an online, audio-guided visual imagery task designed to experimentally prime social experiences under standardized conditions. After brief instructions to imagine themselves actively participating in each scene, participants complete practice trials with neutral content and then are randomized to listen to one audio-recorded scenario matched to their assigned condition. Each trial includes a brief relaxation period, an instruction period, a guided imagery listening period, and a short recovery period. Scenarios are approximately 30 seconds and are delivered via headphones/speakers within the survey platform. Following the imagery task, participants complete post-task self-report assessments capturing current (state) experiences, including state paranoia and manipulation checks (e.g., imagery vividness and task engagement). The task is administered once in a single session.

Primary outcome measure

  • State Paranoia [ Time Frame: Immediately post-intervention (single session) ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

J Wolny

812-855-2620wolny@iu.edu

William Hetrick

812-855-2620whetrick@iu.edu

Locations

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Recruiting

Bloomington, Indiana, United States, 47405

Contacts

William P Hetrick

8128552620whetrick@iu.edu

J Wolny

8128552620wolny@iu.edu

Principal Investigator:

J Wolny

More Information

Sponsor

Indiana University

Last update posted

Apr 29, 2026

Last verified

Apr, 2026

Keywords

  • Paranoia
  • Psychosis-Spectrum
  • Adverse Experiences
  • Experimental Paradigm
  • General Population

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Indiana University on 2026-04-29.