[Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief - Likert format: Factor structure analysis in general population in France]

Schizotypal dimensions by migrant status in the general population: An exploratory study

Migrant status and ethnic minority background have been associated with increased risk for psychosis. However, it remains unclear if such association exists with subclinical forms of psychosis. In two general population samples, totaling 460 subjects, we investigated whether migrant status and/or ethnicity predict self-reported positive, negative and/or disorganized dimensions of psychosis (as measured by the SPQ-B). In comparison to the reference population, we observed higher scores in the negative dimension among both first and second-generation migrants as well as in some ethnic minority groups (particularly North Africa and French overseas). Our findings highlight the need to understand the mechanisms underlying this association between negative schizotypal traits and migrant/ethnic minority status. The fact that migration/ethnicity are associated with both psychotic disorders and subclinical manifestations of psychosis also support the psychosis continuum theory. The higher rates of negative schizotypal traits in these populations underscores the necessity for tailored policies and interventions to enhance mental health and prevent the transition to psychosis in these subgroups.

The effect of positive mental well-being on patient reported outcome (PRO): finding from a cross-sectional multi-disease study in China

PURPOSE

This study aims to investigate the potential impact of positive mental well-being on responses of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), such as EQ-5D-5L.

METHODS

This study utilized the data collected in a cross-sectional study in a sample consisted of individuals with different health conditions. Spearman's rank correlations were employed to investigate the relationship between the responses to the dimensions of EQ-5D-5L and the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS). A binary logistic regression analysis and ordered logistic multivariable regression were utilized to examine how SWEMWBS scores could impact the responses to EQ-5D-5L dimensions, while controlling for variables such as age, gender, education level, health conditions, caring experience, and data collection methods. The effects of SWEMWBS on EQ-VAS and utility values were also examined.

RESULTS

One thousand nine individuals participated in the survey. Spearman's rank correlation revealed that all dimensions of EQ-5D-5L, except for the anxiety/depression dimension, exhibited weak correlations with all dimensions of SWEMWBS. Binary logistic regression and ordered logistic multivariable regression indicated that age, SWEMWBS scores, gender, health conditions, data collection methods, and caring experience significantly influenced the likelihood of reporting problems in EQ-5D-5L responses. Notably, better SWEMWBS outcomes increased the likelihood of reporting no or fewer problems across all EQ-5D-5L dimensions. Spearman's rank correlation suggested a moderate or strong positive correlation between SWEMWBS scores and EQ-5D-5L utility values and EQ-VAS. The results of multiple linear regression analysis revealed that SWEMWBS scores, health conditions, caring experience, and data collection methods were significantly associated with EQ-5D utility values and EQ-VAS.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals with better positive mental well-being results are more likely to report better results in PROMs like EQ-5D-5L. Future study is needed to understand the thought process and to explore strategies to cope with the response heterogeneity that led by the status of mental well-being.

Impact of minimal self disorders on naturalistic episodic memory in first-episode psychosis and parallels in healthy individuals with schizotypal traits

Background

Self-disorders constitute a core feature of the schizophrenia spectrum, including early stages such as first-episode psychosis (FEP). These disorders impact the minimal Self, or bodily self-consciousness, which refers to the basic, pre-reflective sense of embodied experience. The minimal Self is intrinsically linked to episodic memory, which captures specific past experiences of the Self. However, research on this relationship in the schizophrenia spectrum remains scarce. This pilot study aimed to investigate how the minimal Self modulated episodic memory of naturalistic events in FEP, using immersive virtual reality. A secondary objective was to examine the relationships between sense of Self, embodiment, episodic memory, schizotypal personality traits in healthy participants (CTL), and psychopathology in FEP.

Methods

A full-body illusion was induced in 10 FEP and 35 matched CTL, using a first-person avatar, with synchronous or asynchronous visuomotor stimulation (strong or weak embodiment conditions, respectively). Following embodiment induction, participants navigated a virtual city and encountered naturalistic daily life events, which were incidentally encoded. Episodic memory of these events was assessed through a comprehensive recognition task (factual and contextual information, retrieval phenomenology). Sense of Self, schizotypal personality traits, and psychopathology were assessed via self-reported questionnaires or clinical assessments.

Results

Synchronous visuomotor stimulation successfully induced a stronger sense of embodiment in both FEP and CTL. The strong embodiment condition was associated with reduced perceived virtual space occupation by the body in FEP. Under strong embodiment, FEP performed significantly worse than CTL in contextual information recognition, but their ratings for retrieval phenomenology were comparable to CTL. Conversely, under weak embodiment, FEP performed similarly to CTL in contextual information recognition, but they rated retrieval phenomenology significantly lower. For CTL, we observed a slight, though non-significant, enhancement in recognition memory under strong compared to weak embodiment. Additionally, higher schizotypy in CTL correlated with a diminished sense of Self and poorer episodic memory.

Conclusions

Disturbances in the minimal Self in FEP are associated with episodic memory impairments. These findings emphasise the importance of targeting minimal Self-disorders in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, since episodic memory impairments may negatively affect patients' quality of life and psychosocial outcomes. Additionally, they support a fully dimensional model of schizotypy.

Schizotypal dimensions are associated with current but not former tobacco consumption

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to study the relationship between tobacco smoking and attenuated psychosis measures taking into account several aspects of tobacco consumption that to date have not been explored and that could help understand this association, such as age of onset, the influence of former consumption and the duration of abstinence.

METHODS

We investigated, in a sample of 580 students, the relationship between schizotypy (using the schizotypal personality questionnaire-brief in a Likert format) and smoking status, nicotine dependence (measured with the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence), age of onset of smoking and in former smokers, duration of smoking abstinence.

RESULTS

35.2% of the students were current smokers and 13.4% were former smokers. We found that current but not former smokers had higher scores of schizotypy (total, positive and disorganized) than non-smokers. We found no association between schizotypy scores and nicotine dependence or earlier age of onset of smoking. The duration of smoking abstinence, in former smokers, was inversely correlated to the score of positive and total schizotypy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that tobacco has a reversible effect on schizotypy, but more studies with a different design (controlled, longitudinal) and a more thorough exploration of potential confounders (e.g. cannabis) are needed before a firm conclusion can be reached.

Age-related decrease in motor contribution to multisensory reaction times in primary school children

Traditional measurement of multisensory facilitation in tasks such as speeded motor reaction tasks (MRT) consistently show age-related improvement during early childhood. However, the extent to which motor function increases with age and hence contribute to multisensory motor reaction times in young children has seldom been examined. Thus, we aimed to investigate the contribution of motor development to measures of multisensory (auditory, visual, and audiovisual) and visuomotor processing tasks in three young school age groups of children (n = 69) aged (5-6, n = 21; 7-8, n = 25.; 9-10 n = 18 years). We also aimed to determine whether age-related sensory threshold times for purely visual inspection time (IT) tasks improved significantly with age. Bayesian results showed decisive evidence for age-group differences in multisensory MRT and visuo-motor processing tasks, though the evidence showed that threshold time for visual identification IT performance was only slower in the youngest age group children (5-6) compared to older groups. Bayesian correlations between performance on the multisensory MRT and visuo-motor processing tasks indicated moderate to decisive evidence in favor of the alternative hypothesis (BF10 = 4.71 to 91.346), though not with the threshold IT (BF10 < 1.35). This suggests that visual sensory system development in children older than 6 years makes a less significant contribution to the measure of multisensory facilitation, compared to motor development. In addition to this main finding, multisensory facilitation of MRT within race-model predictions was only found in the oldest group of children (9-10), supporting previous suggestions that multisensory integration is likely to continue into late childhood/early adolescence at least.

Magical thinking in individuals with high polygenic risk for schizophrenia but no non-affective psychoses-a general population study

A strong genetic background for psychoses is well-established. Most individuals with a high genetic risk for schizophrenia, however, do not develop the disorder. We investigated whether individuals, who have a high genetic risk for schizophrenia but no non-affective psychotic disorders, are predisposed to develop milder forms of deviant thinking in terms of magical thinking. Participants came from the population-based Young Finns Study (n = 1292). The polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS) was calculated on the basis of the most recent genome-wide association study (GWAS). Psychiatric diagnoses over the lifespan were collected up to 2017 from the registry of hospital care. Magical thinking was evaluated with the Spiritual Acceptance Scale (e.g., beliefs in telepathy, miracles, mystical events, or sixth sense) of the Temperament and Character Inventory in 1997, 2001, and 2012 (participants were 20-50-year-olds). We found that, among those who did not develop non-affective psychotic disorders, high PRS predicted higher magical thinking in adulthood (p = 0.001). Further, PRS predicted different developmental courses: a low PRS predicted a steady decrease in magical thinking from age 20 to 50 years, while in individuals with high PRS the decrease in magical thinking ceased in middle age so that their level of magical thinking remained higher than expected for that age. These findings remained when controlling for sex, childhood family environment, and adulthood socioeconomic factors. In conclusion, if high PRS does not lead to a non-affective psychotic disorder, it predicts milder forms of deviant thinking such as elevated magical thinking in adulthood, especially in middle age. The finding enhances our understanding of different outcomes of high genetic psychosis risk.

Personality profiles in young adults with orthorexic eating behaviors

PURPOSE

Orthorexia nervosa (ON), defined as an excessive preoccupation with healthy eating, has gained more interest in the literature over these past few years. However, little is known about its risk and protective factors, in particular with regards to personality.

METHODS

A total of 3235 college students (10.32% men, 89.67% women) with a mean age of 21.13 (SD = 2.23) answered self-administered questionnaires assessing ON, psychopathological symptoms, and personality disorders including schizotypal, borderline, paranoid, obsessive-compulsive, and narcissistic personality. A subsample of 106 participants (91.51% women, mean age = 20.91, SD = 2.31) was selected based on the DOS cutoff score, and was then considered as the "orthorexic subsample".

RESULTS

Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed in the orthorexic subsample and led to the identification of four groups: 1-a cluster with a low level of traits (L); 2-a cluster with moderate traits and low narcissistic traits (MD); 3-a cluster with a low level of traits and moderate narcissistic traits (MN); 4-a cluster with high paranoid and narcissistic traits (PN) and a moderate level of schizotypal and borderline traits. Levels of anxiety, obsessional-compulsive, and depressive symptoms were higher in the PN and MD clusters than in the L and MN clusters. Social phobia was higher and self-esteem lower in the MD cluster and hypochondriasis was higher in the PN and MN clusters.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that ON can be associated with different personality profiles, some of them displaying significant psychopathological levels. It also emphasizes the importance of taking into account personality disorder traits of young adults with orthorexic eating behaviors.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Descriptive (cross-sectional) study, Level V.

Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Evaluate Workplace Violence in Healthcare Settings

Introduction

This study aims to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess workplace violence (WPV) domains in the healthcare setting.

Methods

 The study used a mixed-method design. In Phase 1, qualitative methods for developing the questionnaire were employed, including literature review, focus-group discussion, expert evaluation, and pre-testing. During Phase 2, quantitative methods were employed for establishing the construct validity of the questionnaire. In Phase 1, experts from departments like emergency medicine, medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, trauma, anesthesia, and critical care unit participated. For Phase 2, data were collected from 213 participants; mean age (30.48±5.95) in metropolitan cities.

Results

The questionnaire consists of 37 items in five domains: (A) Forms of violence, (B) Impact of violent incidences, (C) Reporting of incidence, (D) Mitigation strategies, and (E) Risk factors. The Cronbach’s alpha value of the questionnaire is 0.86, suggesting an excellent internal consistency.

Conclusion

A reliable and valid tool for gathering information regarding WPV in the healthcare system from around the world has been developed. The tool can be used to study the elements that may contribute to violence and its consequences, which will help policymakers curate various mitigation methods to safeguard WPV victims.

Semantic priming and schizotypal personality: reassessing the link between thought disorder and enhanced spreading of semantic activation

The term schizotypy refers to a group of stable personality traits with attributes similar to symptoms of schizophrenia, usually classified in terms of positive, negative or cognitive disorganization symptoms. The observation of increased spreading of semantic activation in individuals with schizotypal traits has led to the hypothesis that thought disorder, one of the characteristics of cognitive disorganization, stems from semantic disturbances. Nevertheless, it is still not clear under which specific circumstances (i.e., automatic or controlled processing, direct or indirect semantic relation) schizotypy affects semantic priming or whether it does affect it at all. We conducted two semantic priming studies with volunteers varying in schizotypy, one with directly related prime-target pairs and another with indirectly related pairs. Our participants completed a lexical decision task with related and unrelated pairs presented at short (250 ms) and long (750 ms) stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). Then, they responded to the brief versions of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire and the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences, both of which include measures of cognitive disorganization. Bayesian mixed-effects models indicated expected effects of SOA and semantic relatedness, as well as an interaction between relatedness and directness (greater priming effects for directly related pairs). Even though our analyses demonstrated good sensitivity, we observed no influence of cognitive disorganization over semantic priming. Our study provides no compelling evidence that schizotypal symptoms, specifically those associated with the cognitive disorganization dimension, are rooted in an increased spreading of semantic activation in priming tasks.

Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief: Effect of invalid responding on factor structure analysis and scores of schizotypy

OBJECTIVES

We assessed the effect of invalid responding on factor structure and on scores of schizotypy through the factor analysis of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B) in a sample of 580 Romanian students using 3 validity items and 5 social desirability items.

METHODS

We examined the factor structure of the SPQ-B, we compared the mean SPQ-B scores between reliable and unreliable responders and between high vs. low social desirability responders, and we re-run the factor analysis restricting the sample to the reliable or low social desirability responders.

RESULTS

Factor analysis resulted in a 3-factor solution: Cognitive-perceptual, Interpersonal and Disorganized dimensions. Unreliable responders had lower scores of positive, negative and total schizotypy. Subjects with high social desirability scores had lower scores of disorganized schizotypy. Factor analyses in the samples of "good" responders showed minor differences in reliable responders, whereas, after taking into account the effect of social desirability, 2 items correctly loaded on expected dimensions.

CONCLUSIONS

Random responding and social desirability could influence scores of schizotypy and factor structure. Simple methods could be used to identify invalid responses. The effect of social desirability could be linked to the phrasing of items.

Validity and reliability of the kiddie schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia present and lifetime version DSM-5 (K-SADS-PL-5) Spanish version

BACKGROUND

There are various language adaptations of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). In order to comply with the changes in DSM classification, the Spanish edition of the interview was in need of update and evaluation.

METHODS

K-SADS-PL was adapted to correspond to DSM-5 categories. All clinicians received training, and a 90% agreement was reached. Patients and their parents or guardians were interviewed and videotaped, and the videos were exchanged between raters. Factor analysis was performed and inter-rater reliability was calculated only in the case of diagnoses in which there were more than five patients.

RESULTS

A total of 74 subjects were included. The Factor Analysis yielded six factors (Depressive, Stress Hyperarousal, Disruptive Behavioral, Irritable Explosive, Obsessive Repetitive and Encopresis), representing 72% of the variance. Kappa values for inter-rater agreement were larger than 0.7 for over half of the disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

The factor structure of diagnoses, made with the instrument was found to correspond to the DSM-5 disorder organization. The instrument showed good construct validity and inter-rater reliability, which makes it a useful tool for clinical research studies in children and adolescents.