M52. Predictive Influences of Cognitive-Perceptual Experiences in Schizotypy: A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Approach

Abstract Background: Schizotypy is a construct that captures quantitative dimensions of the psychosis continuum from normative to clinical expressions. The purpose of this study was to determine the factor structure and criterion validity of a newly revised self-report measure instrument, the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire–Brief Revised Updated (SPQ-BRU; Davidson, Hoffman, & Spaulding, 2016) for predicting later cognitive-perceptual experiences in college undergraduates. Methods: The study sample was comprised of 2474 undergraduate students (female = 71%) attending a university in the Midwest. First, we aimed to identify the model of best fit between latent measurement models of schizotypy discussed in the prior literature using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A series of sequential model comparisons was used to determine the best fitting model of latent schizotypy. Second, we estimated a latent cognitive-perceptual factor from multiple measures collected at a second time point in a subsample of participants (n = 253). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we tested the impact of latent schizotypy on participants’ subsequent self-reported cognitive-perceptual experiences at time 2. Results: Overall, CFA findings support a 4-factor model of schizotypy described by Callaway and colleagues (2013), (χ2 (108) = 2875.21, P < .001, CFI = 0.929, TLI = 0.922, RMSEA = 0.047, CI (RMSEA) =0.045–0.048, SRMR = 0.057). Proportion of variance explained in this 4-factor model included 45.0% for social anxiety, 67.3% for interpersonal, 61.2% for cognitive-perceptual, and 65.7% for disorganization (all P < .001). Consistent with our hypothesis for aim 2, the hypothesized latent cognitive-perceptual model yielded excellent fit of the data (χ2 (2) = 2.09, P < .352, CFI = 0.999, TLI = 0.998, RMSEA = 0.013, CI (RMSEA) = 0.000–0.127, SRMR = 0.018). Lastly, SEM results for aim 3 indicate specific dimensions of the path model explain 48.9% proportion of variance in cognitive-perceptual experiences at time 2 (χ2 (14) = 13.842, P = .46, CFI = 1.00, TLI = 1.00, RMSEA = 0.00, CI (RMSEA) = 0.00–0.60, SRMR = 0.024). Conclusion: This investigation bolsters a growing body of evidence for the predictive power of schizotypy for cognitive-perceptual phenomena in college students. In addition, this work further advances the concept of the neurodevelopmental continuum of psychosis.