The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire for Children (SPQ-C): Factor Structure, Child Abuse, and Family History of Schizotypy

Abstract

There is a relative dearth of research on features of schizotypal personality in children, in part due to lack of instrumentation. This study tests 5 competing models of the factor structure of the self-report Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire for Children (SPQ-C) and examines its relationship with a family history of schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), child abuse, and stability over time. Hypotheses were tested on 454 11- to 12-year-old schoolchildren and their caregivers. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a 3-factor structure of the SPQ-C (cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, and disorganized). Test-retest stability was relatively robust over 3 months (r =. 67), 6 months (r =. 64), and 12 months (r =. 55), with acceptable internal reliabilities (r =. 84 to. 91). Regarding construct validity, children with a biological family history of SPD had higher scores on all 3 factors (d =.51). Abused children had higher schizotypy scores (d =. 55). A genetic × environment interaction was observed, with schizotypy highest in those with both a family history of schizotypy and also child abuse. Findings are the first in the child schizotypy field to document a gene × environment interaction and the independence of child abuse from confounding genetic influences. Results support the utility of the SPQ-C in future family and clinical studies of schizotypal personality and provide an avenue for much-needed and neglected research into the early antecedents of child schizotypal personality.