Measurement invariance of the Spanish Launay–Slade Hallucinations Scale-Extended version between putatively healthy controls and people diagnosed with a mental disorder

Abstract

Objectives: The current study aimed at evaluating the reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and factor structure of the Spanish Launay–Slade Hallucinations Scale-Extended version (LSHS-E) in people with mental disorders and healthy controls. Methods: Four hundred and twenty-two individuals completed the Spanish LSHS-E and the Spanish Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences. The convergent and divergent validity of the LSHS-E was assessed with the three dimensions of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (positive, negative, and depressive dimensions) in healthy controls and people with a mental disorder. Factor structure of the LSHS-E was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance. Results: The LSHS-E had a good reliability in healthy controls and people with a mental disorder (Cronbach's = 0.83 and 0.91, respectively). The LSHS-E was more strongly associated with positive psychotic-like experiences than with depressive and negative symptoms. Four factors were found: (a) “intrusive thoughts”; (b) “vivid daydreams”; (c) “multisensory hallucination-like experiences”; and (d) “auditory–visual hallucination-like experiences” that were invariant between the group of healthy controls and people with a mental disorder. Conclusion: The Spanish version of the LSHS-E possesses adequate psychometric properties, and the confirmatory factor analysis findings provide further support for the multidimensionality of proneness to hallucination in clinical and nonclinical samples.