Gender and schizotypal personality features

Schizotypal personality is argued to be part of a spectrum of schizophrenia-related disorders. While salient gender differences in the symptomatology of schizophrenics have been reported, data with regards to such differences in DSM-III defined schizotypal features are more limited. Right-handed male (N = 120) and female (N = 137) university students completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), a self-report instrument designed to tap all nine features of DSM-III-R schizotypal personality disorder. Results revealed that males are significantly higher only on the Eccentric/Odd Behavior subscale, while females score higher on the Ideas of Reference, Odd Beliefs/Magical Thinking and Social Anxiety subscales, as well as the Cognitive-Perceptual Dysfunction and Interpersonal Deficits factors. Effect sizes tended to be small, with only the Social Anxiety subscale yielding a moderate effect.