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Empirical research using the Empathic Accuracy Task (EAT) has suggested that schizophrenia patients and people with schizotypal personality disorder exhibit lower empathic accuracy than healthy people. However, empathic accuracy in a subclinical sample with high levels of schizotypy has seldom been studied. Our study aimed to investigate empathy in a subclinical sample using the Chinese version of the EAT and a self-report empathy measure. Forty participants with high levels of schizotypy (HS participants) and 40 with low levels of schizotypy (LS participants), as measured by the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), were recruited. All participants completed the Chinese version of the EAT and the self-report Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy. Empathic accuracy (EA) scores and the intra-individual variability of EA scores were calculated. Independent samples t tests and Pearson correlation analyses were performed to examine group differences in empathy and the relationship between empathy and schizotypy respectively. HS participants exhibited reduced EA for both positive and negative videos, and larger intra-individual variability of EA for negative videos than LS participants. However, HS and LS participants did not differ in self-report cognitive empathy. Moreover, the interpersonal dimension of the SPQ was negatively correlated with EAT performance and self-report cognitive empathy in LS participants. Individuals with HS show poorer performance-based EA but relatively intact self-report cognitive empathy. This study provides empirical evidence for the ontogeny of empathy deficits in subclinical populations at risk of developing schizophrenia, supporting early interventions for social cognitive deficits., (© 2024 The Authors. PsyCh Journal published by Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Background: Repetitive thoughts are usually associated with psychopathology. The Future-oriented Repetitive Thought (FoRT) Scale is a measure designed to capture frequency of repetitive thought about positive and negative future events. However, the validity of the scale in Chinese population and its application in the schizophrenia spectrum have not been examined., Methods: The current study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the FoRT scale and to apply it to the schizophrenia spectrum. In Study 1, three samples (total N = 1875) of university students were recruited for exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and validity test, respectively. In Study 2, we identified subsamples with high schizotypal traits (N = 89) and low schizotypal traits (N = 89), and recruited 36 inpatients with schizophrenia and 41 matched healthy controls., Results: The three-factor (pessimistic repetitive future thinking, repetitive thinking about future goals, and positive indulging about the future) structure of the FoRT scale with one item deleted, fitted the Chinese samples. And the scale could distinguish patients with schizophrenia and individuals with high schizotypal traits from controls., Conclusion: These findings support that the Chinese version of the FoRT scale is a valid tool and provide evidence for the potential applications in the schizophrenia spectrum., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we applied brain grey matter volume and structural covariance methods on T1 weighted images to delineate potential structural brain changes in individuals with high schizotypy, who were defined as healthy individuals scoring in the top tenth percentile of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Eighty-seven college students with high schizotypy and 122 controls were recruited in China. Differences in grey matter volume and volume covariance between the two groups, and correlations of grey matter volume with SPQ scores in the high schizotypy group were examined. We found that individuals with high schizotypy had decreased grey matter volume at the left medial superior frontal gyrus (medsFG) extending towards the superior frontal gyrus, decreased structural covariance within the right medsFG, between the right superior frontal gyrus (sFG), the right superior temporal gyrus and the right anterior insula; and increased structural covariance between the caudate and the right inferior temporal gyrus. Correlation analysis revealed that grey matter volume of the left middle temporal pole and the right sFG correlated positively with the SPQ total scores, volume of the bilateral cerebellum 9 sub-region correlated negatively with the SPQ cognitive-perceptual sub-scale scores, volume of the bilateral striatum correlated positively with the SPQ interpersonal sub-scale scores, and volume of the bilateral superior temporal pole correlated positively with the SPQ disorganization sub-scale scores in the high schizotypy group. These results highlight important grey matter structural changes in the medsFG in individuals with high schizotypy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anomalous perceptual experiences in adolescents are common and may predict future psychotic disorders and other psychopathologies. However, the underlying structure and their specific relationships with bullying victimizations, a typical stressor for adolescents, remain unclear. Therefore, the current study aimed to clarify the structure of perceptual anomalies as assessed by the Cardiff Anomalous Perceptions Scale (CAPS) using exploratory graph analysis (EGA), a new factor retention method based on network psychometrics. The second aim was to explore whether specific dimensions of perceptual anomalies are particularly associated with certain forms of bullying victimization. Data from a validated sample of 1199 Chinese adolescents (56.0 % females, age range: 14-20) on perceptual anomalies and bullying victimizations were analyzed using network approaches, including EGA and mixed graphical modeling (mgm). Results showed that each anomalous perception was experienced by 13.8-50.3 % of the participants. EGA identified four dimensions: aberrant bodily perceptions, altered daily experiences, chemosensation (i.e., abnormal gustatory and olfactory experiences), and clinical psychosis (i.e., visual and auditory hallucinatory experiences). Among them, the altered daily experiences dimension possessed the highest centrality. Physical bullying and cyberbullying were directly and positively linked to two of the aberrant bodily experiences. Bootstrap analyses suggest that the results are reliable. The current findings support the existence of multiple contributive factors to perceptual anomalies and underscore the importance of bullying prevention in reducing mental health risks for adolescents, particularly the risk of psychosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

• Schizotypal personality disorder is a mental health disorder which has increasingly gained attention, particularly in children and adolescents, yet the screening tool is limited. • Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire – Child (SPQ-C) was developed to screen for schizotypy in young children and adolescents. • The Chinese version of the SPQ-C replicated a three factor structure with adequate psychometric properties. • Partial measurement invariance was achieved across gender and residence. • Good convergent validity was established between the SPQ-C and other standardized parent- and teacher-rated measures of children's behavioral problems. The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) is one of the most widely used screening tools for schizotypy in adults. The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Child version (SPQ-C) was recently developed to assess schizotypy in children and has a similar three-factor structure to the adult SPQ (i.e., Cognitive-Perceptual, Interpersonal-Affective, and Disorganization). However, few studies to date have reported on the psychometric properties and the usefulness of the SPQ-C in Eastern populations, including Mainland China. This study presents the first psychometric assessment of the Chinese SPQ-C in Mainland China. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to assess the factor structure of the SPQ-C in 1668 children (M = 12.10, SD = 0.60 years) from the China Jintan Child Cohort Study. Our findings document a three-factor structure and partial measurement invariance across residential location and gender, replicating the psychometric properties of the SPQ-C in English. The Chinese SPQ-C further correlates with standard behavioral problems (i.e., Child Behavior Checklist, Youth Self-Report and Teacher Report Form), demonstrating construct validity and utility as a child psychopathology assessment tool. Our findings provide the first robust psychometric evidence for a three-factor structure of the Chinese SPQ-C in a large Mainland Chinese sample, and suggest that the SPQ-C is suitable as a screening tool for schizotypy in community children who may be at risk for behavioral problems and later psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS) was designed in accordance with the recent theory and research in social affective neuroscience and to address the psychometric and conceptual limitations of other instruments assessing negative symptoms. The present study aimed to provide a large-scale validation of the CAINS in China and examine its applicability and validity evidence across the schizophrenia spectrum. Using confirmatory factor analysis, our results replicated the original findings in the US development samples that the CAINS possesses a stable 2-factor structure, namely "motivation/pleasure" and "expression". We also found significant correlations between the CAINS and other negative symptom measures. The CAINS demonstrated good discriminant validity in differentiating negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia, nonpsychotic first-degree relatives and people with social anhedonia. People with schizophrenia exhibited significantly higher CAINS subscale scores than first-degree relatives and healthy controls. In addition, first-degree relatives had higher "motivation/pleasure" scores than healthy controls. The "motivation/pleasure" subscale scores of individuals with social anhedonia were also significantly higher than healthy controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observation of psychosis-like traits that resemble symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, both among healthy relatives of psychotic patients and among the general population, can be traced to the early 20th century. 1, 2 These traits have since been described within various models of illness and health (ie, normal/abnormal personality, abnormal psychotic continua), each giving rise to concepts such as "schizotypy," "psychoticism," and "psychosis-proneness" that are not necessarily interchangeable, although their subtle distinctions are often overlooked. Historically, there have been 3 major models of schizophrenia-/psychosis-proneness, one of which is referred to as "taxonic" or " quasi -dimensional," 3, 4 and 2 models that can be regarded as " fully dimensional," 5, 6 as distinguished by the relationship that is proposed to exist between psychosis-proneness and the risk of clinical schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder. In this review, we outline the key assumptions of each model and its implications for research of psychosis in relation to mental illness and health and for the alternative models. We integrate historical concept development with current findings from various fields of research (eg, personality, neurobiology, and behavioral genetics) and highlight the remaining questions each model poses in relation to understanding the development of psychotic illness and the distribution of psychotic-like traits in the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The latent structure of schizotypy and psychosis-spectrum symptoms remains poorly understood. Furthermore, molecular genetic substrates are poorly defined, largely due to the substantial resources required to collect rich phenotypic data across diverse populations. Sample sizes of phenotypic studies are often insufficient for advanced structural equation modeling approaches. In the last 50 years, efforts in both psychiatry and psychological science have moved toward (1) a dimensional model of psychopathology (eg, the current Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology [HiTOP] initiative), (2) an integration of methods and measures across traits and units of analysis (eg, the RDoC initiative), and (3) powerful, impactful study designs maximizing sample size to detect subtle genomic variation relating to complex traits (the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium [PGC]). These movements are important to the future study of the psychosis spectrum, and to resolving heterogeneity with respect to instrument and population. The International Consortium of Schizotypy Research is composed of over 40 laboratories in 12 countries, and to date, members have compiled a body of schizotypy- and psychosis-related phenotype data from more than 30000 individuals. It has become apparent that compiling data into a protected, relational database and crowdsourcing analytic and data science expertise will result in significant enhancement of current research on the structure and biological substrates of the psychosis spectrum. The authors present a data-sharing infrastructure similar to that of the PGC, and a resource-sharing infrastructure similar to that of HiTOP. This report details the rationale and benefits of the phenotypic data collective and presents an open invitation for participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mirror-gazing task (MGT) experimentally induces illusions, ranging from simple color changes in the specular image of oneself, to depersonalization-like anomalous self-experiences (ASE) as in experiencing one's specular image as someone else. The objective was to characterize how connectivity in resting-state networks (RSNs) differed in adolescents reporting such depersonalization-like ASEs during the MGT, in a cross-sectional (Y1) and in a longitudinal manner (a year after). 75 adolescents were recruited; for the cross-sectional analysis, participants were split into 2 groups: those who reported depersonalization-like ASEs on the MGT (ASE), and those who did not (NoASE). For the longitudinal analysis, participants were split into 3 groups whether they experienced MGT depersonalization-like ASEs: only at Y1 (Remitters), both times (Persisters), or never (Controls). Participants also filled out self-reports assessing schizotypal personality (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire [SPQ]), and underwent resting-state functional MRI procedure (rs-fMRI). A group level Independent Component Analysis (ICA) was conducted and voxel-wise inter-group differences within RSNs were examined. The rs-fMRI analysis revealed lower connectivity of specific visual areas within the primary visual network (PVN), and higher connectivity of regions within the Default Mode Network (DMN) when contrasting the ASE and NoASE groups. The areas that were atypically connected within the PVN further presented differential pattern of connectivity in the longitudinal analysis. Atypical connectivity of visual area within the DMN at Y1 was associated with higher scores on the disorganized dimension of schizotypy at the second evaluation. The present study uncovers a subtle signature in the RSNs of non-clinical adolescents who experienced task-induced ASEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature and definition of schizotypy, as the latent liability for schizophrenia capable of generating various phenotypic and endophenotypic outcomes, is reviewed. The proceedings of the 2017 meeting of the International Consortium on Schizotypy Research are included in this Special Section and they are presented as illustrations of current research work on schizotypy. The potential leverage of the schizotypy framework for schizophrenia research continues to be realized and these articles present current research efforts that explore new angles of inquiry while building upon past advances. Methodological and substantive areas of concern are highlighted and suggestions for improvement of future schizotypy research are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Converging evidence suggests that psychosis emerges from the complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Stressful life events (SLEs) play a prominent role in combination with coping strategies and with a dysfunctional hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA). It has been proposed that the framework of schizotypy might help disentangle the interaction between genetic and environmental factors in the pathogenesis of psychosis. Similarly, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is considered as a genetic model of psychosis vulnerability. However, SLE and coping strategies remain largely unexplored in 22q11DS. Moreover, the HPAA has not been systematically investigated in this population. Here, we explored the correlation between SLE, emotional coping strategies, schizotypal personality traits, subthreshold psychotic symptoms in a sample of 43 healthy controls (HCs) compared with 59 individuals with 22q11DS. In the latter, we also explored the correlation with pituitary volume as estimated from structural magnetic resonance imaging. We found that SLE and negative coping strategies were correlated with schizotypal personality traits in both HCs and 22q11DS, and with psychotic symptoms in the 22q11DS group only, whereas reduced pituitary volume correlated with general psychopathology. Moreover, dysfunctional coping mediated the effect of SLE on schizotypal personality traits and psychotic symptoms in 22q11DS. Our findings recapitulate evidence in nonsyndromic patients and confirm the central role of stress and coping in the pathogenesis of psychosis. More broadly, they highlight the importance of environmental factors in the pathway to psychosis in 22q11DS, suggesting a strong rationale for the implementation of stress and particularly coping-oriented interventions in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meehl conceptualized schizotypy as the phenotypic manifestations of a neural integrative defect resulting from a schizophrenia diathesis. The majority of schizotypy studies recruited subjects from the general population and revealed a multidimensional construct. This 2-phase investigation first examined the clustering of schizotypy in 194 unaffected relatives of schizophrenia patients using the Chapman Psychosis Proneness scales and then directly compared the cognitive profiles of negative schizotypal individuals and positive schizotypal individuals with schizophrenia patients and controls. In the first phase, cluster analysis categorized 194 unaffected relatives of schizophrenia patients into positive schizotypy (n = 33), negative schizotypy (n = 66), mixed schizotypy (n = 27), and low schizotypy (n = 64). Positive schizotypal participants showed more self-report pleasure experiences than negative schizotypal participants, replicating earlier cluster analytic findings. In the second phase, 27 negative schizotypal individuals, 18 positive schizotypal individuals, 19 schizophrenia patients, and 29 controls were recruited. Although the groups were matched in terms of age, gender, and IQ, they differed significantly in cognitive profiles. While schizophrenia patients exhibited the broadest cognitive impairments, negative schizotypal participants exhibited visual memory, working memory, and verbal fluency impairments, and positive schizotypal participants exhibited logical memory, visual memory, working memory, and theory-of-mind impairments. Among people with familial risk of schizophrenia, individuals exhibiting positive rather than negative schizotypal features resembled schizophrenia patients in cognitive profiles. Using the psychometric-familial method to identify schizotypy, our findings support the heterogeneity of schizotypy as well as the potential utility of the positive schizotypy dimension in genetically high-risk individuals to predict the risk of developing schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional magnetic resonance imaging is capable of estimating functional activation and connectivity in the human brain, and lately there has been increased interest in the use of these functional modalities combined with machine learning for identification of psychiatric traits. While these methods bear great potential for early diagnosis and better understanding of disease processes, there are wide ranges of processing choices and pitfalls that may severely hamper interpretation and generalization performance unless carefully considered. In this perspective article, we aim to motivate the use of machine learning schizotypy research. To this end, we describe common data processing steps while commenting on best practices and procedures. First, we introduce the important role of schizotypy to motivate the importance of reliable classification, and summarize existing machine learning literature on schizotypy. Then, we describe procedures for extraction of features based on fMRI data, including statistical parametric mapping, parcellation, complex network analysis, and decomposition methods, as well as classification with a special focus on support vector classification and deep learning. We provide more detailed descriptions and software as supplementary material. Finally, we present current challenges in machine learning for classification of schizotypy and comment on future trends and perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizotypy is defined as a time-stable multidimensional personality trait consisting of positive, negative, and disorganized facets. Schizotypy is considered as a model system of psychosis, as there is considerable overlap between the 2 constructs. High schizotypy is associated with subtle but fairly widespread cognitive alterations, which include poorer performance in tasks measuring cognitive control. Similar but more pronounced impairments in cognitive control have been described extensively in psychosis. We here sought to provide a quantitative estimation of the effect size of impairments in schizotypy in the updating, shifting, and inhibition dimensions of cognitive control. We included studies of healthy adults from both general population and college samples, which used either categorical or correlative designs. Negative schizotypy was associated with significantly poorer performance on shifting (g = 0.32) and updating (g = 0.11). Positive schizotypy was associated with significantly poorer performance on shifting (g = 0.18). There were no significant associations between schizotypy and inhibition. The divergence in results for positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy emphasizes the importance of examining relationships between cognition and the facets of schizotypy rather than using the overall score. Our findings also underline the importance of more detailed research to further understand and define this complex personality construct, which will also be of importance when applying schizotypy as a model system for psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For nearly 6 decades, the schizotypy construct has served as a conceptual guide for understanding the phenotypic and clinical variability associated with schizophrenia-spectrum vulnerability. Despite the impact of schizotypy on academic research, the public burden of schizophrenia-spectrum pathology has not diminished over time, and it remains poorly understood with no cures, few treatments, and heavy stigma from the lay public. Following on the success of the 2013 Lemanic Workshop on Schizotypy, the International Consortium on Schizotypy Research (ICSR) was formed to address these needs by accelerating scientific discovery of schizophrenia-spectrum pathology. The ICSR convened its 2017 meeting in Beijing China with the theme of "Crossing Borders". This included a focus on expanding schizotypy research across 5 domains across: academic disciplinary borders (promoting brain and genetics/genomics research), clinical borders (promoting clinical and non-clinical applications), geographic borders (promoting cross-cultural research), laboratory borders (promoting "big" and "small" data collaborations), and methodology borders (promoting emotion, cognition and behavior research using novel methods). This special supplement provides the highlights from this meeting and related work, including 3 theoretical and position articles, 7 research articles, and 1 invited commentary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impairment in empathy has been demonstrated in patients with schizophrenia and individuals with psychosis proneness. In the present study, we examined the neural correlates underlying theory of mind (ToM) and empathy and the relationships between these two social cognitive abilities with schizotypy. Fifty-six first-year college students (31 males, 25 females) between 17 and 21 years of age (M = 19.3, SD = 0.9) from a medical university in China participated. All participants undertook a comic strips functional imaging task that specifically examined both empathy and ToM. In addition, they completed two self-report scales: the Chapman Psychosis Proneness scale and the Interpersonal Responsivity Index (IRI). Results showed that both empathy and ToM conditions of the task were associated with brain activity in the middle temporal gyrus, the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), the precuneus and the posterior cingulate gyrus. In addition, we found positive correlations between negative schizotypy and brain activity in regions involved in social cognition, namely, the middle temporal gyrus, the TPJ, as well as the medial prefrontal gyrus. These findings highlight that different dimensions of schizotypy may show different associations with brain regions involved in social cognitive abilities. More importantly, the positive correlation between brain activity and anhedonia suggests the presence of compensatory mechanisms in high-risk populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study sought to examine the underlying brain changes in individuals with high schizotypy by integrating networks derived from brain structural and functional imaging. Individuals with high schizotypy (n = 35) and low schizotypy (n = 34) controls were screened using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire and underwent brain structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging on a 3T scanner. Voxel-based morphometric analysis and graph theory-based functional network analysis were conducted. Individuals with high schizotypy showed reduced gray matter (GM) density in the insula and the dorsolateral prefrontal gyrus. The graph theoretical analysis showed that individuals with high schizotypy showed similar global properties in their functional networks as low schizotypy individuals. Several hubs of the functional network were identified in both groups, including the insula, the lingual gyrus, the postcentral gyrus, and the rolandic operculum. More hubs in the frontal lobe and fewer hubs in the occipital lobe were identified in individuals with high schizotypy. By comparing the functional connectivity between clusters with abnormal GM density and the whole brain, individuals with high schizotypy showed weaker functional connectivity between the left insula and the putamen, but stronger connectivity between the cerebellum and the medial frontal gyrus. Taken together, our findings suggest that individuals with high schizotypy present changes in terms of GM and resting-state functional connectivity, especially in the frontal lobe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Studies that have examined schizotypal personality traits using self-reported measures have found gender differences in the expression and degree of schizotypy. Despite the reported presence of schizotypal traits in Asian populations, putative gender differences have been almost entirely derived from studies of Western populations. This study examined the gender effect of schizotypy in a broad sample of the Chinese population in Singapore using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). The questionnaire was administered to 538 (308 males and 230 females) subjects (age range of 21–55). As with previous studies, gender differences were related to the presence of negative schizotypal personality traits, namely No Close Friends and Constricted Affect. The spectrum of differences in schizotypy was also extended to the psychosocial sphere as marital status and years of education were significantly associated with several SPQ domains. The findings suggest that there are common elements in Asian and Caucasian populations and that psychosocial risk is an important correlate of schizotypy. The implications of gender differences in the aetiology of schizophrenia spectrum disorders are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Schizotypy has been shown to be a time-stable construct that exists across the schizophrenia spectrum. The Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale (MSS) was developed to capture the three factors underlying schizotypy: positive, disorganized and negative schizotypy. However, a recent validation study reported a four-factor construct with an additional negative social anhedonia factor. The factor structure of the Chinese version of the MSS remains unknown. This study aimed to identify and validate the factor structure of the Chinese version of the MSS., Methods: We recruited 641 Chinese speakers via on-line advertisement. We administered the Chinese version of the MSS, which was a self-report instrument. The scale consists of 77 items with true or false response options. We identified and removed 43 outliers. Finally, a total of 294 participants were randomly selected as the derivative sample for exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The remaining 304 participants were retained as the validation sample for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)., Results: EFA identified four factors: the positive factor, the disorganization factor, the negative affective and motivational anhedonia factor, and the negative social anhedonia factor. The EFA-identified four-factor model was compared with the unidimensional, three-factor bifactorial and theoretical three-factor models using CFAs. The three-factor bifactorial model fitted the data better than the EFA-identified four-factor model., Conclusion: Our finding suggests that the Chinese version of the MSS is a valid tool for assessing schizotypy in the Chinese setting., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None to declare., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B) is a commonly-used tool for measuring schizotypal personality traits and due to its wide application, its cross-cultural validity is of interest. Previous studies suggest that the SPQ-B either has a three- or four-factor structure, but the majority of studies have been conducted in Western contexts and little is known about the psychometric properties of the scale in other populations. In this study factorial invariance testing across three cultural contexts-Australia, China and Chile was conducted. In total, 729 young adults (Mean age = 23.99 years, SD = 9.87 years) participated. Invariance testing did not support the four-factor model across three countries. Confirmatory Factor Analyses revealed that neither the four- nor three-factor model had strong fit in any of the settings. However, in comparison with other competing models, the four-factor model showed the best for the Australian sample, while the three-factor model was the most reasonable for both Chinese and Chilean samples. The reliability of the SPQ-B scores, estimated with Omega, ranged from 0.86 to 0.91. These findings suggest that the SPQ-B factors are not consistent across different cultural groups. We suggest that these differences could be attributed to potential confounding cultural and translation issues., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The present study aimed to examine empathy in individuals with schizotypy and to explore whether empathy mediates the associations between schizotypy traits and social functioning in college students. 1083 (376 males, mean age 18.78 ± 0.86 years) Chinese university students completed questionnaires measuring empathy, social functioning, and schizotypy. Participants were categorized into four groups based on their scores on the Chapman Psychosis Proneness scales: mixed schizotypy, positive schizotypy, negative schizotypy, and healthy controls. Participants in the negative schizotypy group reported significantly poorer scores on both affective and cognitive empathy than those in the positive schizotypy and healthy control groups. The mixed schizotypy group showed lower affective empathy than the healthy control group. Scores on both cognitive and affective empathy in the positive schizotypy group were similar to those in the healthy control group. In addition, cognitive empathy was found to be a partial mediator of the association between negative schizotypy traits and social functioning. Results suggest that while individuals with negative schizotypy have deficits in empathy, individuals with positive schizotypy show empathy abilities comparable to that of healthy controls. Moreover, only cognitive empathy partially mediated the relationship between negative schizotypy and social functioning., (© 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)