Schizotypy, emotional–behavioural problems and personality disorder traits in a non-clinical adolescent population Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero a, c , Serafín Lemos-Giráldez b, c, ⁎, Mercedes Paino b, c , José Muñiz b, c a Department of Educational Sciences, University of La Rioja, Spain b Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Spain c Research Centre in the Mental Health Network, Madrid, Spain (CIBERSAM) abstract article info Article history: Received 16 September 2010 Received in revised form 7 February 2011 Accepted 5 July 2011 Keywords: Schizotypy Adolescents Schizotypal Personality Behavioural Emotional The main goal of the present study was to examine the relationship between the schizotypy dimensions, emotional–behavioural problems and personality disorder traits in non-clinical general adolescent population. A total of 1455 participants (M= 15.9 years; S.D. = 1.2) were administered the Oviedo Schizotypy Assessment Questionnaire (ESQUIZO-Q), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+ (PDQ-4+). Correlation analyses revealed significant associations between the schizotypy and emotional–behavioural problems self-reported by adolescents. Participants with high scores in schizotypy dimensions, reported higher rates of affective and behavioural problems than those with low scores. Also, schizotypy dimensions and personality disorder traits were closely related in adolescent population. These data indicate, as occurs in clinical samples, the high overlap between schizotypy and personality disorder traits. Affective dysregulation and behavioural problems are present at the subclinical level in non-clinical adolescent population. These results have implications for the integration of schizotypy studies within the paradigms of developmental psychology and dimensional models of personality. © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The study of personality disorder (PD) traits in adolescents has increased since the growth of the developmental psychology paradigm and dimensional models of personality (Widiger and Lowe, 2008), and of efforts to integrate the two approaches within a common framework (De Clercq et al., 2009; Shiner, 2009; Tackett et al., 2009). Adolescence is a stage of great interest for the study of certain personality features, not only because it is a critical period in development in which there can occur a wide range of psychological disorders (Costello et al., 2003; Cohen et al., 2005), but also because many disorders (e.g., schizophrenia or PDs) that emerge in adulthood appear to originate at earlier stages of development (Cohen, 2008; Welham et al., 2009; Widiger et al., 2009). Thus, the study of PD traits in non-clinical population is of great importance for the establishment of links between the normal and maladaptive personalities, the understanding of psychological mechanisms and underlying processes of the disorders, the identification of risk markers for the development of mental disorders, and the development of programmes for prevention and early detection and intervention in at-risk adolescents. Schizotypy is a complex construct that has been associated at a historical, genetic, cognitive, behavioural, neuropsychological and psy- chophysiological level with schizophrenia (Raine, 2006; Lenzenweger, 2010). It is made up of an aggregation of cognitive, emotional, and behavioural traits grouped in a multidimensional structure (Positive, Negative and Disorganized factors) similar to that found in patients with schizophrenia (Raine, 2006; Kwapil et al., 2008; Fonseca-Pedrero et al., 2010a). Schizotypal traits are present in the general population and are distributed along a continuum of adjustment, the clinical disorder (psychosis) being found at its extremity (Claridge, 1997). Along this continuum we can find “intermediate” phenotypical expressions which, without reaching a clinical level, are associated with greater current psychopathological intensity, severity and related impairment (Nelson and Yung, 2009; van Os et al., 2009; Armando et al., 2010; Barragan et al., 2011). Moreover, individuals with high scores in self-reports for schizotypy – or Psychotic-Like Experiences (PLEs) – are at greater future risk of developing schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (Poulton et al., 2000; Gooding et al., 2005; Welham et al., 2009; Dominguez et al., 2011). In this sense, schizotypal experiences in healthy individuals may represent the behavioural expression of proneness to psychotic disorders (van Os et al., 2009). In particular, in adolescent populations schizotypal features – or PLEs – and emotional and behavioural symptoms have frequently been found to be associated, showing a high degree of overlap (Yung et al., 2009; Armando et al., 2010; Fonseca-Pedrero et al., 2011a; Wigman et al., 2011). For instance, Fonseca-Pedrero et al. (2011b), exploring the relationship between schizotypal traits and depressive symptoms in a sample of 1384 Spanish adolescents, found that the Psychiatry Research 190 (2011) 316–321 ⁎ Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo, s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain. E-mail address: slemos@uniovi.es (S. Lemos-Giráldez). 0165-1781/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2011.07.007 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Psychiatry Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/psychres