Schizotypy and personality profiles of Cluster A in a group of schizophrenic patients and their siblings

BMC Psychiatry

Massimo Biondi⁴  Fabio Di Fabio⁴  Alessia Mirigliani¹  Carla Salerno⁴  Chiara Squarcione⁴  Antonino Buzzanca²  Maria Chiara Torti³ 

[1] Department of Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy;Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy;Department of Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy;Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, Rome 00185, Italy

关键词: Siblings;    First-degree relatives;    Personality disorders;    SWAP-200;    Schizophrenia;    Schizotypy;   

Others  :  1123948
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-244X-13-245

 received in 2013-04-08, accepted in 2013-10-03,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

Schizotypy, or the set of personality traits related to schizophrenia, is considered an endophenotypic manifestation that is more represented in first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia than in the general population. The assessment of schizotypy is primarily based on self-reports, and for this reason it presents several limitations. In order to assess schizotypy, this study proposes a diagnostic instrument based on clinical reports.

Methods

A sample of 66 subjects, composed of 25 outpatients with schizophrenia, 18 siblings of these patients and 23 healthy controls, was subjected to the personality assessment test SWAP-200 by trained clinical interviewers. To test the hypothesis of the difference between the profiles of the Personality Disorders within the schizophrenia spectrum, a Multivariate Analysis of Variance and subsequent planned comparisons were conducted.

Results

Patients with schizophrenia scored higher than both their siblings and the controls on all SWAP-200 scales; their siblings, compared to the healthy controls, showed significant statistical differences, with higher mean scores for paranoid (F_(1,63) = 7.02; p = 0.01), schizoid (F_(1,63) = 6.56; p = 0.013) and schizotypal (F_(1,63) = 6.47; p = 0.013) traits (PD T scores of Cluster A and Q-factor scores for the schizoid scale [F_(1,63) = 6.47; p = 0.013]).

Conclusions

Consistent with previous data, first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia scored higher on schizophrenia-related personality traits than a general population comparison sample. SWAP-200, as an alternative diagnostic instrument to self-report measures, is able to reveal the higher prevalence of schizotypal traits in siblings of patients with schizophrenia, suggesting its possible use as a complementary instrument for the assessment of schizophrenia.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Torti et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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