Schizotypal personality in academia

Schizotypal personality, otherwise known as "latent schizophrenia" is a personality disorder accepted in the spectrum of schizophrenia. Its prevalence is 3% of the general population. The schizotypal personality questionnaire (SPQ) developed by Raine is one of the most-widely used auto-evaluation instruments for the study of this personality disorder, it allows the rapid diagnosis of schizotypal personality, using 74 items divided into nine lower scales, evaluating the total DSM IV-R criteria of this disorder. To explore the schizotypal personality among students in two Moroccan establishments, the medical school in Marrakech and the College of Technology in Safi (EST), through the Raine's SPQ, and to describe the sociodemographic profile of students with schizotypal traits. This is a retrospective study concerning a sample of the first round students in two university sites in Morocco (the medical school in Marrakech and the College of Technology in Safi). The investigation began on October 2004 and was spread over a period of 6 months. The questionnaire was anonymous, divided into two parts; the first part concerning sociodemographic characteristics and the second exploring the SPQ, developed by Raine, assessing nine schizotypal traits specified as such in the DSM IV-R. The average score was 25.33 ± 11.77; with the upper and lower threshold values 44/74 and 10/74 respectively. Males were predominant among schizotypal students (7.24% versus 3.62% among females). Moreover, most of the schizotypal students (16.7%) were living with their parents, 1.4% living alone and only 0.7% with their friends. In the schizotypal students, 11.6% were pursuing their studies in the College of Technology in Safi, and 6.8% in the medical school of Marrakech. The average score for the SPQ was 25.33 ± 11.77 (minimal score 2/74 and maximal score 52/74). Excessive social anxiety total score was 518, the distrust total score was 496, and the lack of close friends total score was 449. Concerning scores for the sub scales: poverty affects, bizarre speech, reference ideas, perceptual experiences, unusual and bizarre beliefs, were respectively 434 (mean 2.94), 430 (mean 2.91); 422 (mean 2.88), 410 (mean 2.66), 337 (mean 2.30). Bizarre and eccentric behavior's total score was 309 (mean 1.97). Finally, our study could not find a relationship between the schizotypal disorder and the consumption of illicit drugs. Schizotypal personality disorder is considered as a trouble-generator spectr