Psychosis-like experiences in the general population: An exploratory factor analysis

Abstract

In nonclinical populations psychosis-like experiences have been extensively studied under the psychometric rubric of schizotypy (psychosis-proneness). This study aims to assess the extent of schizotypal traits and associated personality correlates displayed within a quota sample stratified by gender and age, the emphasis being upon anomalous experiences (positive schizotypy). Respondents ( N = 130) completed a battery of established self-report measures assessing nine areas of personal experience. Principal components analysis identified two factors accounting for 65.41% of the total variance; the factor accounting for the greatest proportion of variance (50.23%) represented a psychological disposition towards reporting ‘Anomalous Experiences’. The other factor (15.18% of variance) we named ‘Transpersonal Experiences’. No significant gender differences were revealed for the five self-report measures that provided unique contributions toward anomalous experiences. However trends towards significant gender differences were noted for the two self-report measures that provided unique contributions toward transpersonal experiences. Additionally four of the seven self-report measures that provided unique factorial contributions generated significant differences between agebands. Implications for the role of anomalous and transpersonal experiences with regard to psychosis-proneness are discussed.