Validation of the Chinese version of the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale (MSS): Convergent evidence from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses

Development and Validation of Knowledge Assessment Scales for Dementia and Urinary Incontinence in Community Older People

To develop and validate scales for reliably assessing dementia and urinary incontinence knowledge of older adults in the community. Items were generated through a literature review, refined through a Delphi study (n = 19), and then revised through a pilot study (n = 29). Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis were applied to finalize the scales (n = 244). Construct validity, reliability, and acceptability were evaluated (n = 243). The two knowledge assessment scales for dementia and urinary incontinence, respectively, comprised 12 items and 8 items. Model fit indicators of both met the criteria of confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's α were .82 and .70, respectively. Completion ratio and completion time of the two scales was 83.51% and 4.22 ± 1.90 minutes. The knowledge assessment scales for dementia and urinary incontinence with satisfactory validity, reliability, and acceptability, could be served as valid tools for disease prevention and management among older adults in the community.

The prediction of effort-reward imbalance for reward motivation

This sequential mediation analysis study examined how the baseline effort-reward imbalance (ERI) would predict reward motivation 1 year later in 435 college students. We found that negative/disorganized schizotypal traits and anticipatory pleasure experience together mediate the prediction of ERI for reward motivation.

Relationships between childhood trauma and dimensional schizotypy: A network analysis and replication

OBJECTIVES

Childhood trauma (CT) has been found to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Little is known regarding the complex interplay between CT, subclinical psychotic, and affective symptoms in the general population. This cross-sectional study adopted network analysis to examine such a complex relationship. We hypothesized that CT would show strong connections with schizotypy dimensions, and the high schizotypy subgroup would show a network with higher global strength compared with the low schizotypy subgroup.

METHODS

A total of 1813 college students completed a set of self-report questionnaires measuring CT, schizotypal features, bipolar traits, and depressive symptoms. The subscales of these questionnaires were used as nodes, and the partial correlations between nodes were used as edges to construct a network. Network Comparison Tests were used to investigate the differences between participants with high schizotypy and low schizotypy. An independent sample (n = 427) was used to examine the replicability of the results.

RESULTS

Findings from the main dataset showed that CT was closely connected with schizotypy and motivation, after controlling for the inter-relationships between all nodes in the network. Relative to the low schizotypy subgroup, the network of the high schizotypy subgroup showed higher global strength. The two subgroups did not differ in network structure. Network analysis using the replication dataset showed comparable global strength and network structure.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings support specific links between CT and schizotypy dimensions in healthy youth populations, and such links appear to become stronger in those with high schizotypy.

Activity system, schizotypal personality, and mentalization: A study between halted activity and COVID-19 conducted in Henan, China

The pandemic-related lifestyle has potentially imposed crucial disturbances on daily and long-term activities, which, in turn, were associated with thought disturbance. This study investigates how the characteristics of the activity system during pandemic-related restrictions are associated with other psychomental aspects. By focusing on PTSD, mentalization, and schizotypal personality, and by inquiring about the main components of the activity system of 852 college students (Zhengzhou, Henan, China)- including the goals orienting their activity, goals' terms and types, the motivation levels and sources, the activity type and engagement time, the flow of the activity, and how due to pandemic lifestyle-results revealed that the activity system's components have significant associations with PTSD, reflective function, and schizotypal traits. Additionally, some of the activity system's elements have a significant predictive role regarding schizotypal traits. The study considered that the life narrative during the pandemic has been disturbed; hence, this may have a crucial effect on mind coherence. Additionally, the outcomes from the pandemic context will support mental health interventions in other similar contexts where the life narrative is severely affected.

Convergent validity of the Chinese version of the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale

Schizotypy is the latent personality reflecting the liability to schizophrenia. The Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale (MSS) is a newly developed questionnaire to measure the levels of schizotypy. The Chinese version of MSS has been developed and previous findings supported its structure validity. The present study aimed to examine the construct validity of the Chinese version of the MSS by correlating it with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). A total of 1359 university students completed the MSS and the SPQ online. The results of 1027 valid participants demonstrated that all MSS dimensions showed good internal consistency. The MSS positive dimension is strongly correlated with SPQ cognitive-perceptual factor, the MSS negative dimension with the SPQ interpersonal factor, and the MSS disorganized dimension with the SPQ disorganized factor. Taken together, our study provides evidence for construct validity of the Chinese version of the MSS.

Pseudoscientific beliefs and psychopathological risks increase after COVID-19 social quarantine

BACKGROUND

The health crisis caused by COVID-19 has led many countries to opt for social quarantine of the population. During this quarantine, communication systems have been characterized by disintermediation, the acceleration of digitization and an infodemic (excess and saturation of information). The following debate arises: Do the levels related to the psychotic phenotype and pseudoscientific beliefs related to the interpretation of information vary before and after social quarantine?

OBJECTIVES

This research aims to examine the psychological effects of social quarantine on the psychotic phenotype and pseudoscientific beliefs-experiences of the general nonclinical population. The following hypothesis was posed: social quarantine alters the levels of magical thinking, pseudoscientific beliefs and anomalous perceptions due to quarantine.

METHODS

A pre- and posttest analysis design was applied based on the difference in means, and complementary Bayesian estimation was performed. A total of 174 Spanish subjects responded to different questionnaires that evaluated psychopathological risks based on psychotic phenotypes, pseudoscientific beliefs and experiences before and after quarantine.

RESULTS

Significant differences were obtained for the variables positive psychotic symptoms, depressive symptoms, and certain perceptual alterations (e.g., cenesthetic perceptions), and a significant increase in pseudoscientific beliefs was also observed. The perceptual disturbances that increased the most after quarantine were those related to derealization and depersonalization. However, paranoid perceptions showed the highest increase, doubling the initial standard deviation. These high increases could be related to the delimitation of physical space during social quarantine and distrust towards information communicated by the government to the population. Is it possible that social alarmism generated by the excess of information and pseudoscientific information has increased paranoid perceptual alterations?

CONCLUSIONS

Measures taken after quarantine indicate that perceptual disturbances, subclinical psychotic symptoms and beliefs in the pseudoscience have increased. We discuss which elements of quarantine coincide with the social marginality theory and its clinical repercussions.