DSM-III-R schizotypal personality traits in offspring of schizophrenic disorder, affective disorder, and normal control parents

Abstract

SummaryThe aggregation of disorder in families identified by a schizophrenic disorder proband (index case) has provided indirect clues to the question of diagnostic boundaries of schizophrenic spectrum categories. The Danish Adoption Studies provided quasi-experimental evidence for the range of expression of a putative schizophrenic spectrum disorder which was subsequently denoted schizotypal personality disorder (STPD) in DSM-III-R. It has been hypothesized that such schizophrenic spectrum categories bear a genetic relationship to schizophrenic disorder and thus are continuous with schizophrenia in terms of etiology and pathogenesis. For meaningful use of such spectrum categories in genetic analyses, e.g., linkage analysis, it is important that rates of spectrum traits and disorder in normal control and in psychiatric control populations are known. The rate of DSM-III-R schizotypal traits and disorder was assessed in three offspring groups (ages 18-29) defined by parental diagnoses, including schizophrenic disorder (N = 90), affective disorder (N = 79), and no parental disorder (N = 161). The assessment was conducted by trained social workers and psychologists by means of a direct interview (Personality Disorder Examination). The interviewers were blind to the parental status and to previous psychiatric assessments of these offspring. The rates of three, four and five schizotypal features were elevated in the offspring with parental psychiatric disorder in contrast to the offspring with no parental psychiatric disorder. However, the rates between the offspring of the schizophrenic disorder parental group and the offspring of the affective disorder parental group did not differ significantly, thus failing to support the assumption of diagnostic specificity.

Schizotypal Symptoms and Signs in the Roscommon Family Study

“…19 Suspiciousness and avoidant symptoms were explicitly examined in only two studies. 18,20 Suspiciousness was substantially more common in relatives of schizophrenic probands in both, reaching sta¬ tistical significance in one18 and at the trend level in the other.20 In one study,20 the avoidant symptoms ofsocial isolation and social anxiety did not distinguish relatives of schizophrenic and control probands. In the other,18 social isolation was significantly more common in relatives of schizophrenic probands, while social anxiety was not.…”

“…"2 ' Both studies that specifically ex¬ amined odd speech found that it was significantly more com¬ mon in the relatives of schizophrenic vs control probands. 18,20 Only one study specifically examined "social adaptation" and found it to be one of the most powerful discriminators of their borderline schizophrenic cases. 19 Suspiciousness and avoidant symptoms were explicitly examined in only two studies.…”

The Mediating Effect of Alexithymia on the Relationship Between Schizotypal Traits and Sleep Problems Among College Students

“…They are defined as increased sleep latency, frequent night waking, shorter sleep duration, and other parasomnias (2). Additionally, studies have found that schizotypal traits are present in people without schizophrenia, including offspring with parental psychiatric disorders and the general population (3). Schizotypal traits are of interest and importance in their own right but also have theoretical and clinical relevance to schizophrenia (4).…”

An examination of the factorial structure of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B) among undergraduate students

“…Additionally, some studies indicate that schizotypy may be more common in biological relatives of individuals with schizophrenia than in other non-psychiatric samples (Kendler et al, 1995;Kremen et al, 1998), though it should be noted that some studies comparing the rates of schizotypal traits in relatives of patients with schizophrenia and in relatives of patients with affective psychoses have not confirmed the specificity of schizotypy to schizophrenia (Coryell and Zimmerman, 1989;Gilvarry et al, 2001;Mata et al, 2003;Squires-Wheeler et al, 1988;Squires-Wheeler et al, 1989). Although interview-based instruments are occasionally used, the measurement of schizotypy usually relies on at least one of many self-report inventories.…”