Ozdemir Ercan, MacBeth Angus, Griffiths Helen
School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Clin Psychol Psychother. 2025 Sep-Oct;32(5):e70156. doi: 10.1002/cpp.70156.
Schizotypy provides a theoretically grounded framework for investigating psychosis proneness, reflecting a multidimensional structure that parallels the positive, negative and disorganized symptoms of schizophrenia. Alexithymia, a trait characterized by difficulties in identifying (DIF) and describing feelings (DDF) and a tendency towards externally oriented thinking (EOT), has been robustly linked to schizophrenia. Despite these associations, the relationship between alexithymia and schizotypy remains underexplored. Moreover, given that both constructs are closely associated with negative affect, it is critical to account for this potential confound to estimate their associations accurately.
We employed a cross-sectional design in a non-clinical sample to examine the associations among the dimensions of alexithymia, negative affect and schizotypy. Network models were estimated using Spearman correlations and the EBICglasso method to capture conditionally independent associations.
The sample (N = 420) was predominantly female (n = 314), with ages ranging from 18 to 37 years (M = 28.72, SD = 4.52). More than half (n = 232) reported receiving mental health treatment, and 127 participants self-reported a personal history of psychosis. DIF and negative schizotypy emerged as central to different clusters in the network. Specifically, DIF served as a bridge linking positive and disorganized schizotypy dimensions to anxiety and stress, whereas negative schizotypy was a central bridge connecting DDF and EOT to depression. These estimates were psychometrically stable.
Our findings suggest DIF and negative schizotypy as plausible mechanisms of change facilitating emotional attunement and resilience against distress due to unusual self-experiences.
分裂型特质为研究精神病易感性提供了一个理论基础框架，反映了一种与精神分裂症的阳性、阴性和紊乱症状平行的多维结构。述情障碍是一种以难以识别（DIF）和描述情感（DDF）以及倾向于外向性思维（EOT）为特征的特质，与精神分裂症有着密切联系。尽管存在这些关联，但述情障碍与分裂型特质之间的关系仍未得到充分探索。此外，鉴于这两种结构都与消极情绪密切相关，为准确估计它们之间的关联，考虑这种潜在的混杂因素至关重要。
我们在一个非临床样本中采用横断面设计，以检验述情障碍维度、消极情绪和分裂型特质之间的关联。使用斯皮尔曼相关性和EBICglasso方法估计网络模型，以捕捉条件独立关联。
样本（N = 420）以女性为主（n = 314），年龄在18至37岁之间（M = 28.72，SD = 4.52）。超过一半（n = 232）的人报告接受过心理健康治疗，127名参与者自我报告有精神病个人史。DIF和消极分裂型特质在网络中的不同聚类中处于核心地位。具体而言，DIF是连接阳性和紊乱分裂型特质维度与焦虑和压力的桥梁，而消极分裂型特质是将DDF和EOT与抑郁连接起来的核心桥梁。这些估计在心理测量学上是稳定的。
我们的研究结果表明，DIF和消极分裂型特质是促进情绪协调和抵御因异常自我体验而产生痛苦的合理变化机制。
