The three-factor model of schizotypal personality: invariance across age and gender

Three factors are hypothesized to underlie schizotypal personality in the general population, but few data are currently available concerning its invariance across age and gender. This study tests the hypothesis that this three-factor structure is invariant across both age and gender. The Italian translation of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) was administered to a sample of 929 Italian high school students aged 16 years, and to a sample of 803 Italian university students aged 22 years. The two samples differed by age, but were balanced on gender. Principal component analyses confirmed the three-factor model of cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, and disorganized features. Younger subjects had higher SPQ scores than older subjects. Females were characterized by higher scores on ideas of reference and excessive social anxiety, while males scored higher on no close friends, constricted affect, and odd behavior. As a whole, these results indicate that the three-factor model of schizotypal personality is invariant across age and gender, and encourage investigation of the differential correlates of these factors to better understand the mechanisms underlying schizotypal personality. The results of this study also support prior findings of gender differences in schizotypy scores.