The Network Structure of Schizotypal Personality Traits

Authors

Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero, University of La Rioja
J Ortuno-Sierra, University of La Rioja
M Debbane, University of Geneva
Raymond Chan, Chinese Academy Of Sciences
D C. Cicero, University of Hawaii at Manoa
L C. Zhang, University of British Columbia
C Brenner, University of British Columbia
Emma Barkus, University of WollongongFollow
R J. Linscott, University of Otago
T Kwapil, University of North Carolina
Neus Barrantes-Vidal, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
Alex S. Cohen, Lousiana State University
Adrian Raine, University of Pennsylvania
Michael Compton, Lenox Hill Hospital
Erin B. Tone, Georgia State University
Julie Suhr, Ohio University
Felix Inchausti, University of Navarra Pamplona
Julio Bobes, University of Oviedo
Axit Fumero, University of La Laguna
Stella Giakoumaki, University of Crete
Ioannis Tsaousis, University of Crete
Antonio Preti, Genneruxi Medical Center
Michael Chmielewski, Southern Methodist University
Julien Laloyaux, University of Bergen
Anwar Mechri, University of Monastir
Mohamed Lahmar, University of Monastir
Viviana Wuthrich, Macquarie University
Frank Laroi, University of Liege
Johanna C. Badcock, University of Western Australia
Assen Jablensky, University of Western Australia
Adela Isvoranu, University of Amsterdam
Sacha Epskamp, University of Amsterdam
Eiko Fried, University of Amsterdam

RIS ID

131179

Publication Details

Fonseca-Pedrero, E., Ortuno, J., Debbane, M., Chan, R. C. K., Cicero, D., Zhang, L. C., Brenner, C., Barkus, E., Linscott, R. J., Kwapil, T., Barrantes-Vidal, N., Cohen, A., Raine, A., Compton, M. T., Tone, E. B., Suhr, J., Inchausti, F., Bobes, J., Fumero, A., Giakoumaki, S., Tsaousis, I., Preti, A., Chmielewski, M., Laloyaux, J., Mechri, A., Lahmar, M. A., Wuthrich, V., Laroi, F., Badcock, J. C., Jablensky, A., Isvoranu, A. M., Epskamp, S. & Fried, E. I. (2018). The Network Structure of Schizotypal Personality Traits. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 44 (2), S468-S479.

Abstract

Elucidating schizotypal traits is important if we are to understand the various manifestations of psychosis spectrum liability and to reliably identify individuals at high risk for psychosis. The present study examined the network structures of (1) 9 schizotypal personality domains and (2) 74 individual schizotypal items, and (3) explored whether networks differed across gender and culture (North America vs China). The study was conducted in a sample of 27001 participants from 12 countries and 21 sites (M age = 22.12; SD = 6.28; 37.5% males). The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) was used to assess 74 self-report items aggregated in 9 domains. We used network models to estimate conditional dependence relations among variables. In the domain-level network, schizotypal traits were strongly interconnected. Predictability (explained variance of each node) ranged from 31% (odd/magical beliefs) to 55% (constricted affect), with a mean of 43.7%. In the item-level network, variables showed relations both within and across domains, although within-domain associations were generally stronger. The average predictability of SPQ items was 27.8%. The network structures of men and women were similar (r = .74), node centrality was similar across networks (r = .90), as was connectivity (195.59 and 199.70, respectively). North American and Chinese participants networks showed lower similarity in terms of structure (r = 0.44), node centrality (r = 0.56), and connectivity (180.35 and 153.97, respectively). In sum, the present article points to the value of conceptualizing schizotypal personality as a complex system of interacting cognitive, emotional, and affective characteristics.