Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief: factor structure and influence of sex and age in a nonclinical population

A growing amount of evidence suggests that schizotypy is a dimensional construct probably consisting of three factors (i.e. cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, disorganised). This study aimed to ascertain, using a Spanish version of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B), the factor structure of schizotypy and its relation with sex and age in a nonclinical population. A sample of 443 undergraduate students at the University of Barcelona (Spain) completed the Spanish version of the SPQ-B. Factor analysis resulted in three substantive symptom dimensions: cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, and disorganised. Age was negatively correlated both with the total score and with the three factors. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), entering age as a covariate, revealed sex differences, with higher scores for males in the total score, interpersonal factor, and disorganised factor, and higher scores for females in the cognitive-perceptual factor. The implications of our findings are discussed both regarding sex differences and the influence of age in the expression of schizotypal traits.