Development of a version of the Schizotypy Traits Questionnaire (STA) for screening children

Schizotypy may be seen as both a dimension of normal individual differences and an indicator of the predisposition to schizophrenia and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Schizotypal traits have been widely investigated in adults but little research has explored schizotypy in younger samples. The aim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Schizophrenia research 2005-12, Vol.80 (2-3), p.253-261
Main Authors: Cyhlarova, Eva, Claridge, Gordon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Children
Factor analysis
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
Humans
Male
Mass Screening - methods
Medical sciences
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Reproducibility of Results
Schizotypal Personality Disorder - diagnosis
Schizotypal Personality Disorder - epidemiology
Schizotypal traits
STA scale
Surveys and Questionnaires
Techniques and methods
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Summary:Schizotypy may be seen as both a dimension of normal individual differences and an indicator of the predisposition to schizophrenia and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Schizotypal traits have been widely investigated in adults but little research has explored schizotypy in younger samples. The aim of the present study was to examine the factor structure of schizotypal traits in a sample of normal children aged 11 to 15 years—a younger sample than investigated in the few previous studies. Schizotypal traits were assessed with the children's version of the adult Schizotypy Traits Questionnaire (STA). A principal components analysis was carried out on data from 317 subjects and yielded a three-factor solution, similar to several previous studies of adult samples. Factor one was characterised by unusual perceptual experiences, factor two by paranoid ideation/social anxiety, and factor three by magical thinking. The factor structure of the STA of this young sample was comparable with the previous studies of adults. The findings suggest that the children's version of STA is a scale suitable for the measurement of schizotypy in young populations, and that this scale could be useful in clinical assessment of children at risk for psychosis, as well as in research.
ISSN:0920-9964
1573-2509
DOI:10.1016/j.schres.2005.07.037